CHAPTER 24: 24: PHANTOM MASK

Barnes dropped to his knees with a guttural yelp, pain flaring through his right shoulder. The blood spike remained impaled in his left one, twitching slightly with every breath.

"That’s a fair punishment, I suppose," Aaron said flatly, gazing down at him with calm indifference. "You won’t be using that left arm for at least a year."

Barnes groaned, clutching his right arm tightly as blood trickled down his shoulder. "My boss... he’ll still come for her," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Maybe... if you can help her escape..."

Aaron’s words earlier had struck a nerve. Something deep. Something buried.

Barnes hadn’t always been this way.

He used to be a kind-hearted boy—young, scrappy, surviving with his little sister in the grime of the slums. He stole not for greed, but survival. If luck was on his side and he didn’t get caught, they ate. If not... he paid a terrible price.

He grew up in a twisted world, abandoned by the demigod rulers who turned their backs on the lower class citizens of the Sanctuary. And then came that day—the one that changed everything.

He didn’t know the man he had stolen from was Stone, a notorious underworld kingpin. Barnes got away with the loot for a few days, until fate caught up with him.

But Stone didn’t punish Barnes directly. Instead, he took the one thing that mattered most—his sister. She was dragged to a brothel, her dignity ripped away. A price was set for her release—a sum Barnes could never hope to earn.

Desperation broke him.

He bowed to Stone, agreed to anything—everything—just to save her. He worked under the tyrant, crawling through filth and blood to earn that impossible amount. As time passed, he awakened to a talent and became even more valuable. Eventually, Stone honored the deal. Barnes got his sister back.

But by then, he’d sunk too deep into the abyss.

He kept working under Stone. Not for money anymore, but out of fear—fear that his sister would be taken again. Fear that if he stepped out of line, she’d pay the price. And so, Barnes remained in the dark corners of the Sanctuary—the forgotten slums ruled by Stone.

Now, staring at Aaron—this foreigner with strange eyes and terrifying power—he felt something shift. A flicker of who he used to be resurfaced.

Once, he had been a thief with a reason... not a monster.

Unconsciously, Barnes found himself looking at Aaron with respect. That raw kind of admiration you gave to someone who hadn’t lost themselves, even in the dirt.

Aaron blinked, noticing the odd expression.

"Oi, system! Did I accidentally unlock some kind of ’Talk-no-Jutsu’ skill? Why the hell is this guy looking at me like I’m his hero?!" he barked internally.

[System]: Don’t look at me. I think Host finally discovered a hidden talent. Maybe you’re not entirely useless without me.

Aaron rolled his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for the system’s sarcasm.

Just then, the girl stepped forward, her voice trembling.

"Please... I know you’ve already helped me, and I feel ashamed asking for more. But... Barnes is right. Stone won’t stop. If he finds out Barnes failed, he’ll come after me... or worse, my parents. I can’t run from him."

Aaron turned, eyes softening slightly. She looked desperate—but it was the kind of desperation that came from having no other hope.

He sighed.

"I’m sorry," he said gently. "I’m just a student here for a competition. A foreigner, at that. My strength is limited, and exposing myself too much would cause more problems. Your best chance might be to report this to the authorities."

He didn’t want to reveal his full strength—not yet. There were eyes watching. Hidden forces in the academy. And helping her would risk everything.

"I see... I’m sorry for pressuring you," the girl murmured, bowing low. Her voice was tinged with resignation, her shoulders slumped.

She knew Stone would return. Barnes being sent meant this wasn’t a bluff—it was only the beginning.

"I suggest you lay low for now," Aaron advised, turning to Leo and helping him to his feet. "We’ll be leaving."

The girl quietly followed behind, staying close for safety as they walked away from the broken thugs.

---

Aaron took Leo straight to the hospital. A doctor with a healing talent worked swiftly on his ribs, knitting bone and tissue back together in mere seconds.

"Tsk. Back on Earth, you’d be in bed for at least a week," Aaron muttered, clicking his tongue. "This place is ridiculous."

[System]: Idiot host. I’ve been giving you god-tier gifts for over a month now, and you’re amazed by some low-level healing talent? Pathetic.

"Oi! Who gave you the right to read my thoughts?!" Aaron snapped aloud, clearly annoyed.

Leo gave him a confused look. "You alright, man?"

"...Never mind."

They arrived at the student dorms soon after. Leo’s accommodation was simple—a temporary shared room for participants of the upcoming exams.

Aaron, on the other hand, had no intention of slumming it.

He returned to his presidential suite, a luxurious room arranged through his special connection with the governor. Private, secure, and lavish. Just the way he liked it.

---

Night fell.

Aaron lay sprawled on the plush bed, Rose curled up beside him, already asleep. She had shown up earlier, demanding a rematch—which she promptly lost. Again.

"Stones, huh?" Aaron murmured, a smirk forming on his lips.

He couldn’t confront Stone as Aaron. That would expose too much.

But who said he needed to go as Aaron?

He had something up his sleeve—Phantom Mask. And it was time to use it.

"Crazy plan? Sure. But it’s doable," Aaron grinned.

He gently rose from the bed. Rose stirred slightly but didn’t wake up.

"I’ll be back. Just need some fresh air," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

She mumbled a sleepy response, then rolled over.

Aaron stepped into the bathroom and summoned a portal to his sanctuary.

---

"Hey, buddy! Missed me?"

His voice echoed in the vast, mystic realm as Flameborn, his dragon companion, soared toward him. The majestic beast let out a happy roar, clearly overjoyed.

Aaron chuckled and caught Flameborn in a warm embrace.

"It’s been three days, huh? My bad. You must’ve been bored outta your mind."

The dragon nuzzled him, tail swaying.

"Well, how about a little trip outside? You’ve been cooped up here long enough."

Flameborn’s eyes lit up, and he began nodding furiously, wings fluttering with excitement.

"Good boy."

Aaron rubbed his scaly snout affectionately, then turned to the system.

"Hey, question. Can Phantom Mask work on others or just me?"

[System]: Only you—and anything bound to you by the system. Flameborn qualifies, since he’s linked to your soul.

Aaron’s smirk deepened.

"Perfect. The last piece of the puzzle."

He reached into his inventory, retrieving the Phantom Mask. The plan was already forming.

"Poor Stone... you really picked the wrong person to mess with."