CHAPTER 34: BOSS (2)

As soon as Athar disappeared from sight, the air shimmered, and a figure suddenly materialized.

She was cloaked in a long, flowing shawl, her form half-hidden in its folds, making it nearly impossible to discern her face. Only her eyes, sharp and glinting with intelligence, were visible beneath the hood. She was the same enigmatic presence who had appeared after Athar had dealt with Trux.

Her arrival was silent, her presence eerie, almost unnatural. In the darkness, her form appeared blurry and she looked someone born of shadows and secrets.

She moved closer to the dying flames of the fire, her gaze settling on the corpses of Dervin’s lackeys. It did not take her long to confirm what she had witnessed herself hidden in the darkness. The signs of corrosion were too obvious to overlook.

"I knew it, Athar," she murmured, her voice quiet but laced with amusement. "Your mist was never just a veil to blur vision."

She let out a soft chuckle, low and knowing.

"This is what you have been trying to hide. The true nature of your power. Its power.... You cannot hide it from me."

Her eyes lingered on the corpses, as if analysing every detail.

"And I knew you were not simply wandering the marketplace. You had a purpose all along," she added in a mischievous tone. "But the ’Boss’ is not going feel happy about it. You killed one of his pawns after all. Even if he was worthless to him... he was still his pawn."

"Let us see if his hands reach to you or not," she murmured before she vanished leaving silence behind her.

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Meanwhile, Athar was walking toward the bus stop, trying to keep his footsteps steady. But the adrenaline still surged through his veins, and a wave of nausea kept creeping up on him.

There was no doubt, he had accomplished a great feat. He had taken down the biggest bully of his life. Someone who had tormented him, his entire life.

But it had come at a cost. For the first time, he had taken lives. Three lives. And yet, he did not regret it.

If given the choice again, he knew, he would make the same decision every time. They deserved it.

Still, the images would not leave him. The sight of lifeless bodies collapsing, the blood spraying from a severed neck—those scenes replayed in his mind like a broken record.

His stomach turned with each step, and more than once he felt like vomiting. But each time the nausea rose, he clenched his jaw, steeled his heart, and forced himself forward. He knew that if he really wanted to rise to the pinnacle of his power, this was first of the many lives he would have to reap away.

He would have to deal with every obstruction in his life. By the time he boarded the bus and reached the academy gates, night had fully settled over the city.

"You are quite late," the guard muttered as Athar filled out his entry in the register.

"I got stuck with some business," Athar replied casually.

The guard just nodded. He had seen far too many students returning late for all sorts of reasons, and Athar’s explanation did not interest him.

After arriving in his dorm, Athar took a very long shower where he relived all the images. He knew he would he need a couple of days to get over all this and he was not very worried about it.

He knew sooner or later, someone would be coming for him. He knew his connection with Trux and Dervin were too deep to be ignored so easily. If there really was a web as Dervin was mentioned, then someone would be surely come knocking on his door. If he had been acting alone along with Trux then this matter would end here itself.

They might not have substantive proof against him but the trace of suspicion would always remain over him. He just needed to wait for their response.

With all these thoughts echoing in his mind, Athar fell into deep sleep.

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In a dimly lit room, a man sat on a large sofa, gazing out through a vast glass window. From where he sat, nearly the entirety of Nawarin City stretched out before him. This without any doubt was one of the highest vantage points in the entire city.

Darkness cloaked the room, with only the faint glow from the city beyond the window providing the slightest illumination.

The man had a burly frame and an imposing physique.

Dressed in casual attire, he held a glass of expensive wine in one hand, sipping it at intervals as he silently admired the view.

The silence of the room was broken by the creak of the wooden door as it swung open.

"Boss," the newcomer, an old man, called out, his voice tinged with hesitation and wariness. The man on the sofa did not need long to pick up on it.

"What happened, Axel?" the Boss asked calmly.

"We have got some bad news," Axel said, his tone tightening. "Dervin has been killed."

The Boss remained silent, and Axel, anticipating the reason, quickly added, "He was our collector in Zone 26."

"Zone 26..." the Boss muttered. "Barely brings in anything worth mentioning. Peanuts."

He sighed, his tapping on the surface of his wine glass. "Still, he was one of our men. Our representative."

"Any leads? Evidence?" He asked.

Axel shook his head grimly. "None so far."

"The three bodies at the scene show signs of corrosion, not from poison or any fire based attack, at least none that we recognize."

"In all likelihood, it’s a beast derived skill," he continued. "But such abilities are rare. Extremely rare. They usually belong to those with high talent or significant power."

The Boss’s eyes narrowed at this.

"We know of only one person with such a skill," Axel added. He sounded more nervous than before.

"And if that person held a grudge against us," the Boss finished Axel’s thought, "we would all be dead before we even realized it."

Axel remained solemn as he spoke. "I do not see a reason for that person making a move against us. Not when one of our weakest and the man with the lowest value has been killed."

"It might have been a personal vendetta against Dervin. Hard to say for sure."

"Also..." Axel added further with a touch of discomfort, "some of the monster cores Dervin had collected today are missing."

The Boss gave a ’hmm’ of acknowledgement as if lost in his own thoughts.

"Investigate the matter carefully, Axel," he said finally. "Look for clues and find out people who might have had a reason to target Dervin."

Axel gave a nod as he walked away from the room leaving the Boss alone in the room.

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