CHAPTER 34: EX 34. NO CREDIT

Adrian didn’t move.

Not at first.

Leon’s words hung in the air like a lingering echo—quiet but thunderous in Adrian’s mind.

"Just know that no matter what you do... you won’t be able to catch up."

His fists were clenched so tight his nails bit into his palms. His jaw locked. A tremor rolled through his body like a storm waiting to break.

And for a split second...

It looked like he would explode.

But then just as if a switch had been flipped—

He stilled.

His breath evened out. His shoulders loosened. His fists slowly unclenched.

And then—

"Hahahaha."

A laugh.

At first low and sharp, almost bitter.

But then it swelled.

"Hahahahahaha!!"

It was loud, unrestrained and echoed through the mall’s broken silence.

Leon stopped walking.

His boots scuffed against the cracked tiles as he turned around, eyes wide with genuine concern. He stared at Adrian like he was a man gone mad.

’Don’t tell me I broke him.’ Leon thought, bewildered.

"...Are you okay?" he asked cautiously.

But Adrian didn’t answer. Not with words.

He just kept laughing, tears threatening at the corners of his eyes—not from sadness or pain, but something else entirely. Something liberating.

Eventually, the laughter gradually faded into the air, quieting into nothingness.

Adrian looked up at Leon.

And smiled.

A real one.

It was not smug, sarcastic or forced.

Just... honest.

"Thank you, Leon."

Leon blinked, unsure how to react.

"...Huh?"

But Adrian had already moved.

He strode toward the unconscious cult leader and hoisted the man over his shoulder with a grunt. Then, without another word, he walked past Leon—his steps lighter, his posture calmer, his presence somehow different.

Like a man who’d finally dropped a weight he’d been carrying for years.

Leon turned slowly, watching him go, the demon corpse still slung over his own shoulder. He squinted after Adrian for a long moment, confused.

’What the hell was that about?’

He scratched the back of his neck.

But after thinking it over for a bit and not coming up with anything, he just brushed it off and went after Adrian.

Leon didn’t know it, but to Adrian—

That truth had set him free.

For so long, he had been training to reach something—someone—he could never quite touch. Leon was the mark. The unreachable standard. And no matter how hard Adrian pushed himself, that gap only widened.

He buried that frustration. Covered it in arrogance. Masked it in pride.

But now...

Now there was nothing left to chase.

Because Leon had removed the illusion.

It should’ve been crushing.

But instead, it was like breathing fresh air after years in a cage.

For the first time, Adrian wasn’t training to match someone else’s shadow.

He would train to meet his own ceiling.

Not Leon’s.

His.

There’s no better feeling than giving up, some people said.

But this wasn’t giving up.

This was letting go.

And that made all the difference.

Leon had no idea.

But today, with just a few offhanded words, he had changed Adrian Peer more than any battle ever could.

And Adrian...

Was finally free to become his true self.

****

The ruined mall was quiet now.

As Leon and Adrian returned to the first floor, the echo of their boots against the cracked tiles was the only sound that accompanied them. The once grand central fountain, now a pile of rubble and scorched stone, sat at the heart of the floor like a broken monument.

The shoppers were gone they had fled the moment the barrier vanished.

Only silence, dust, and the smell of blood remained.

Leon dropped the demon corpse with a dull thud beside the unconscious leader. Adrian then gathered the cultist bodies.

They had started tying them together using cords from Adrian’s inventory.

"The defense military should be here any second," Adrian muttered.

Leon gave a small nod, wiping a streak of blood from his cheek.

But just as he turned to check the mall entrance

They arrived.

A dozen men in matte-black military uniforms marched in with clinical precision. Their gear was light but tactical, designed to be worn beneath the standard-issue armor held in their inventories.

They moved fast, silently forming a tight perimeter around Leon and Adrian.

Leon’s eyes narrowed.

His instincts screamed at him.

’That’s the defense military—but something’s off.’

Then came the final figure.

A middle-aged man with sharp white hair and a squared jaw walked in last, every step deliberate. His uniform bore the insignia of the unit captain, though no name tag was visible.

His icy eyes swept over the two trial takers like they were insects beneath his boot.

He came to a stop in front of them and barked out:

"Contain the demon and round up the heretics."

There was no explanation, greeting or recognition.

The soldiers moved at once.

As they began to drag the restrained cultists toward containment units as well as the demons corpse.

Leon and Adrian cooperated without a word.

But inside?

Leon’s mind was racing.

’They’re treating us like strangers... no, worse—like liabilities.’

The first warning bell was the delay. The defense military should have arrived much sooner. Not instantly, of course they weren’t omniscient. But by now?

It was too slow...

The second?

They hadn’t asked a single question. Not about the demon. Not about the barrier. Not about the cultists. Nothing.

’If you can’t say thank you at least you can give us some credit points.’

Leon thought unpleased.

He was a noble—sure. But that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate getting paid. A C-rank demon corpse alone should’ve earned him more credits than a week’s allowance.

He shifted slightly, about to voice a complaint—when everything changed.

Shrrkk!

In unison, the soldiers equipped their armor and unsheathed their weapons.

Twelve weapons were now aimed directly at Leon.

Adrian tensed beside him, reflexively reaching for his shield.

The white-haired commander stepped forward, now clad in a sleek black armor, and stared at Leon like he was looking at a criminal.

"Leon Kael," he said coldly, voice echoing through the ruined mall.

"You are under arrest. For gross negligence of Federation trial law, and willfully engaging in a trial beyond the assigned trial difficulty."

A pause.

Then—

Leon blinked.

His brain short-circuited for a fraction of a second before it finally clicked .

"...Shit."

****

Demon’s Stats

Strength: 550

Speed: 550

Vitality: 650

Stamina: 530

Senses: 450

Dark Mana: 600

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A/N: Mass release today, as thanks for you guys support.

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