Later, some guests claimed they had seen a man with no face wandering the villa's corridors.
Gradually, rumors spread among the locals. They said it was the legendary Faceless One causing trouble.
"This kind of supernatural thing…" Lily's voice trembled slightly. "What if our abilities don't even work?"
Bruno rubbed his arms, goosebumps rising. "This… doesn't feel like something a normal monster would do…"
Fubuki thought for a moment, then looked around at her uneasy team. "We're already here. We stay the night and observe."
As the old butler led them through the guest rooms, everyone noticed something strange.
At the end of the hallway, a window had been nailed shut with wooden boards. A faint, eerie light seeped through the cracks.
"You'd better stay away from that room," the butler said without turning back, his voice carrying a warning. "That was the first crime scene."
By the time they reached their rooms, no one looked comfortable.
Night had fully fallen. Dim yellow lights flickered throughout the villa.
Late at night, Fubuki knocked on Ethan Cole's door.
Her eyes showed unease. "I need to talk to you."
"Come in," Ethan said.
She sat down, hesitating before speaking. "There's something I want to tell you. Don't laugh at me."
"Of course I won't," Ethan replied.
Fubuki relaxed slightly and spoke slowly. "When I was a child, people called me a witch because of my psychic powers. They thought I was something ominous. But I'm just a normal person with a special ability. Now that I'm facing something like this… I don't really know what to do."
As the team leader, she couldn't show weakness.
So she could only confide in him.
Ethan spoke gently. "That prejudice came from fear and ignorance. Your power was never a curse. It makes you unique. And now, you don't have to face things alone. We'll handle this Faceless One together. Besides, this might not even be supernatural."
"Thank you, Ethan…"
That night, Ethan stayed in her room to keep watch.
The next morning, Lily stepped out of her room, yawning.
Then she froze.
Her sleepy expression instantly turned into shock.
Ethan was quietly closing Fubuki's door.
"E-Ethan?!"
She grabbed the railing in panic.
Ethan scratched his nose awkwardly. "This is… actually…"
Before he could explain, the door opened again.
Fubuki stepped out.
The three of them stared at each other.
Lily turned and hurried away.
"I guess I should explain…" Ethan coughed lightly.
Fubuki looked just as unsure.
After that, the group searched the entire villa.
Once they finished, they gathered in the main hall, the atmosphere heavy and confusing.
Lily collapsed onto the sofa. "We checked every corner, even the cracks in the floor. Where could it possibly be hiding?"
Bruno scratched his head, completely puzzled. "Could it really be some kind of spirit? We can't deal with something supernatural like that."
Ethan had already formed a suspicion.
Having watched hundreds of detective shows, he had plenty of reasons to doubt the owner.
"Let's test Victor Shaw," he said.
"You suspect him?" Fubuki asked thoughtfully.
"Yeah."
After thinking it over, everyone agreed. If they were wrong, they would simply leave.
They went to the main hall where Victor Shaw was.
Seeing his back, Fubuki activated her psychic power, trying to force him to turn around.
"I… can't control him," she said.
At that moment, the temperature in the hall suddenly dropped.
The owner slowly turned around.
His previously gentle face now carried a strange, unsettling smile.
"I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly," he said.
"Hello, heroes."
His voice became hoarse and distorted. The skin on his face began to wriggle.
Then it disappeared.
His face became completely blank.
Lily let out a short scream, nearly falling to the ground.
The atmosphere froze.
Bruno took a deep breath. His muscles swelled as he charged forward with a roar.
"Take this!"
His fist shot forward like a cannon.
But in the next instant
A dull thud echoed.
The Faceless One casually caught his arm. Then, with a slight smile, it struck Bruno's chest with its palm.
Crack.
The sound of bones breaking was clear.
Bruno's eyes widened. Before he could even scream, he was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness instantly.
Fubuki reacted immediately. A cold light flashed in her eyes as she unleashed her telekinesis.
Her power could crush steel from a distance.
But when it surrounded the Faceless One, something strange happened.
It was like hitting an invisible wall. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't affect it.
At that moment, Ethan rushed forward.
He was faster than Bruno, his movements sharper and more precise.
The two clashed instantly.
Each collision of fists and kicks echoed loudly.
The Faceless One's relaxed expression gradually faded, replaced by surprise.
They fought from the hall to the corridor, then into the courtyard. After more than a dozen exchanges, neither side gained the upper hand.
Ethan couldn't help but feel puzzled.
His current stats were:
Name: Ethan Cole
Skill: Bajiquan (Hidden Power 92%)
Constitution: 4.5
Combat Power: 460
His mastery had reached an advanced level. He could release internal force from every part of his body.
With a combat power of 460, no Tiger-level monster should be able to match him.
So why couldn't he defeat this one?
Worse, it felt like the creature was still holding back.
He wasn't confident he could win.
"Interesting…" the Faceless One suddenly stopped attacking, narrowing its gaze at Ethan. "Your physical strength and technique are impressive."
Then it stepped back several paces, spreading its arms as if embracing something unseen.
"Praise be to the Dark God."
The moment it finished speaking, its body suddenly began to collapse, like decaying wood falling apart.
Its skin turned to ash. Its body dissolved into the air until nothing remained.
"It disappeared?" Lily stared in disbelief.
The entire villa fell silent.
Everyone stared at the spot where it had vanished, unable to process what just happened.
They had expected a life-or-death battle.
Instead, the enemy had destroyed itself.
"Did it… kill itself? Or did it escape?" Ethan muttered.
This was not a normal death.
After the Faceless One disappeared, the system remained completely silent.
No notifications. No rewards.
By evening, Bruno finally woke up.
"Ugh…" He clutched his chest, gasping in pain.
When he learned he had been knocked out in a single hit, he froze.
"I… got taken down in one move?"
His voice was low, filled with frustration.
No one knew what to say.
Then suddenly, Bruno stood up. Even though he was still in pain, he clenched his fists and shouted,
"Damn it! From today on, I'm training ten times harder!"
"You idiot, you're injured!" Lily ran after him to stop him.
But once Bruno got stubborn, no one could change his mind.
In the end, the others could only sigh helplessly and let him be.