Instantly, Ethan's body was fully enveloped in a deep green light, thick with mystical energy, as countless green leaves began to swirl and gather around him—until all of them came together, forming the illusion of a great tree standing behind him, ancient and divine.

The scent and aura of the green light were so potent, so saturated with vitality, that the surrounding space, a realm that had been soaked in destruction and death, began to shift.

The blood on the ground didn't just dry up. No. It flowed backward, as if time had been reversed, as if it remembered where it came from and chose to return home. The broken, corrupted earth slowly turned back into regular soil, rich and fertile, and soon… green grass began to sprout, covering the space like a divine blanket.

Some of the grass grew taller, much taller, turning into trees—not ordinary trees, but grand, lush towers of life, their bark entwined with golden threads that pulsed with divine mana.

The sky above, which had once screamed with an ominous red hue and a sense of cosmic profanity, shifted into a perfect blue dome where clouds of all shapes and forms drifted peacefully, as though dancing to a rhythm only the universe could hear.

And in the middle of it all, hung a sun. It was small, quiet, but blindingly white and it warmed this space like it was warming an entire world.

It was… breathtaking.

A moment ago, it had been a zone of death, of despair. And now? It was paradise. A place people would kill just to experience for one minute.

And at the center of it all stood the reason why. Ethan, slowly rising to his feet, his injuries completely healed.

His skin even seemed to shimmer with new vitality but despite all that, his expression carried nothing but dissatisfaction and irritation.

In fact, Ethan had never felt this angry in his entire life.

Because not only had that damned spear wounded him to the point he truly thought he might die, but worse, far worse, it had forced him to use one of his most valuable treasures.

A treasure he had been saving. A treasure meant to be enjoyed later.

'Ah damn it… that thing cost me so many points. And now I used it to heal? What a waste.'

'I should have saved it… bragged about it to some divine beings I'm bound to meet soon… but sigh…'

Ethan couldn't help but shake his head, a sigh of self-pity escaping his lips.

Because now he would have to buy it again.

'No one can stay rich for too long here…' he thought grimly before slowly turning his gaze to Airi, who was still staring at him with wide eyes.

He smiled at her, smug as always.

"Were you worried, my dear Sain—"

BAAM!

Ethan didn't even get the chance to finish.

Airi launched herself toward him and hugged him with all her strength, knocking him clean off his feet and slamming him into the floor with a loud thud.

He winced in pain.

It seemed Airi had forgotten he was just a D-rank being, and even her passive strength was enough to snap his bones lazily.

The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became: he had been slacking.

'But now that I'm aware… I'll be more careful,' Ethan thought as Airi buried her head into his chest, her expression a blend of beauty, sadness, and vulnerability—a strange yet moving combination.

"I… I was worried, Ethan," Airi whispered, her voice trembling, her eyes misting with tears.

That's how much he meant to her now. Not just as her savior, but as someone who pulled her out of despair, someone who guided her back into the light.

But above all else… she saw him as a little brother. And she didn't want to see her brother suffer.

Ethan saw it in her eyes. He understood everything without needing her to say it. So gently, he lifted his hand and brushed away the subtle tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

He smiled at her softly.

"I'm sorry, my dear Saintess… I was careless and reckless, and I ignored your words when all you wanted was to keep me safe."

"Forgive me…" Ethan whispered.

Airi didn't say anything. She just nodded and continued holding him tightly.

Ethan chuckled inwardly. A woman of her status, acting like this?

Even now, he still couldn't get used to it.

He continued patting her back and her head lovingly, still smiling softly.

But only he and the system knew what his mind was truly thinking.

'System… tell me. How can I make this spear suffer?'

'For all eternity, if possible.'

Because don't be fooled by the smile.

He hadn't forgotten.

Ethan was gentle, yes. Kind, even. But if there was one thing about him that few people knew—it was that Ethan never forgot a grudge.

Up until now, no one in the tower had truly hurt him enough to awaken this side of him. No one had pushed him far enough to make him loathe them.

Strangely, it wasn't even a person who managed to did it first.

It was a spear. Just a weapon. A will within metal. Follow current novᴇls on novel※fire.net

How utterly laughable.

Soon, Airi calmed down and slowly stood back up, stepping away as Ethan began walking toward the glowing spear.

'I still have 15 quadrillion points left, right?'

[Yes, Host.]

Ethan nodded slightly.

He had Seravax to transform soon, so he should have been conservative… but no.

He didn't agree.

Points could be earned again. And quickly, if he truly wanted to.

But this kind of payback?

This only happened once. And he wasn't going to let it slip.

He arrived in front of the spear. This time, he didn't touch it.

He had learned.

He came prepared.

He had already purchased and equipped several defensive artifacts. Layer upon layer of protection.

But that wasn't enough.

'Create something for me, system,' Ethan ordered inwardly.

[I am at your service.]

'I want an artifact capable of capturing and binding the will of this spear completely. No slip-ups. Total domination.'

'And I want it to be bound only to me by my will and my blood.'

He waited for the response, already praying silently that it wouldn't cost him a fortune.

[It is possible. Cost: 7 quadrillion karmic points.]

[Proceed?]

Ethan smiled coldly.

"Yes."

Instantly, the system responded.

The artifact materialized in his hand.

It looked simple. Too simple.

Just a black necklace, woven with red threads that twisted around each other like veins of living fire.

But the moment Ethan took it out, the moment the spear saw it,

Its reaction was priceless.

It shivered. Not in motion, but in essence. Its will recoiled. It felt fear.

Ethan smirked, tilting the necklace toward it.

"Take it," he said.

"It's a gift."

—End of Chapter 85—