[Union City]


    Back in Union City, the capital of the Northern Union, the Duncan Legacy family and the three Great ns allied with them were actively discussing the missions they had sent their men on.


    At the moment, they were all expecting good news, as they never anticipated us and his friends would venture outside the academy so soon.


    In fact, they had no ns to act for the next three months, as that was the ideal time for disciples to undertake missions. But now that us and his friends were out of the academy, their petty n to kill him was set in motion.


    "This will be the end for all those trying to copy that brat and defy the legacies and the ns," Duncan, the head of the Duncan Royal family, dered.@@novelbin@@


    He had attempted to contact the Dark Order to join their enterprise, but to their disappointment, they refused, stating they had their own matters to attend to.


    In truth, the Dark Order didn''t want to act just yet, as they understood that targeting us in the forbidden zones was a bad idea.


    Most of the forbidden zones were closer to the academy, increasing the likelihood of walking into a trap set by the academy.


    However, the situation would change once us and his friends entered the inner section. Missions in that region would be farther from the academy, providing a better opportunity to kill him.


    They continued discussing and meticulously nning for what they assumed would follow us''s death. However, their enthusiasm was abruptly cut short when they received shocking news just five hours after us and his friends returned to the academy.


    "How can this be possible? H-how?" the head of the Mason Great n stammered, ncing at the others in the room.


    They had just received the devastating news that us was still alive, and the mission had failed miserably. Every soldier they sent was reduced to ashes, leaving no survivors.


    Adding insult to injury, they were sent a video capturing the aftermath of the massacre.


    "Just how is this possible? We sent four Sovereigns, for fuck''s sake!" Jiwon, another n leader, shouted in frustration.


    Duncan stared at the video with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Did we underestimate him?" he muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from the grisly footage.


    The video showed nothing but ashes and the charred remains of the warriors they had sent to eliminate us and his friends. The brutality of the scene left the room heavy with silence.


    "We can''t let this stand. Maybe we should have gone with the n to kidnap his mother. That would have made things easier," Nabil, Miriam''s biological father and the head of the Nabil Great n, suggested coldly.


    "This is disastrous. We''ve not only lost four Sovereigns but also forty Great Sages and eighty Sages. This is uneptable," Duncan said, maintaining an outwardlyposed yet clearly shaken demeanour.


    "We underestimated him, and now that he knows we''re after him, he''ll be even more vignt. We need to tread carefully next time," Mason said. Despite his words, fear gripped him internally.


    The four men sat in silence, watching the video on repeat for twenty agonizing minutes. None of them couldprehend how things had spiralled so out of control.


    "How pitiful. To think a Legacy Family and three Great ns could be reduced to this state simply because they failed to understand the force they were dealing with. How disappointing," an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed through the room, breaking the tense silence.


    Startled, they all turned to locate the source of the voice, but no one was there. The room was empty.


    "Who is there?" Mason asked.


    "You don''t need to know. What I would ask, though, is this: do you four regret taking offense when that boy came against your families?" the voice asked.


    The four didn''t immediately answer. They all thought hard about it. While the ns had no valid reason aside from some petty desires to go against us, Duncan had a legitimate grievance.


    "The Legacy Family is a pir of this world. We ensured the unions held strong and protected the needy. So, to have our name dragged through the mud by a no-name? I don''t regret making him my enemy and target to eliminate," Duncan said.


    "Very noble of you to say. But I think you just needed someone to make a name out of. The nobody you talk about has imed the City, Regional, and Union charts while still below the Saint stage. He is a big figure from where I stand, don''t you think?"


    Duncan couldn''t deny what the voice said. They were indeed in the wrong.


    Perhaps they had sought to gain fame, much like the Dark Order did when they tried to kill us. But now, having reached this point, they could only me themselves for being petty. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire


    "What do you want from us?" Duncan asked.


    They had no idea how the person was speaking to them. They only knew the speaker was far stronger. Despite recently stepping into the Sovereign stage, none of them could sense the voice''s direction.


    "I want you losers to seed in killing us Hanson. Don''t get me wrong—I''m someone who could easily do it. But at the moment, Ick the means. That''s where you foure in. Though it sucks to say it, I need your help," the voice said.


    Duncan and the other three family heads exchanged nces.


    "Why should we help you?" Duncan asked.


    The voice didn''t respond immediately. It let the silence linger for a few minutes before speaking again.


    "I know what each of you desires. Duncan, I know you want to kill us no matter what. Mason, I know you and your useless sons only want his women and mother.


    "Jiwon, you''re after his secrets. And Nabil, I know you want to enve your banished daughter. I know all of this because I know everything about you four.


    "Now, while it disgusts me to seek help from the likes of you, I know this is the only way. So, here''s my offer. I''ll tell you what I can do for you, and in return, you''ll help me take care of us, his sister, and his friends."


    The four family heads fell silent, their attention fixed on the voice.


    "For starters, I''ll help all four of you be Transcendents within two months. I''ll also help three people from each of your families ascend to Transcendence. To ensure loyalty, I''ll even help you enve them so they don''t grow cocky.


    "I will provide you with weapons to guarantee sess in your task. All I ask is that, once you kill them, you bring their bodies to me."


    "Now, do we have a deal?" The voice''s offer left the four in stunned silence. The prospect of bing Transcendent—and elevating three from each of their families—left them dumbstruck.


    "You have a deal," they said in unison, epting the offer.


    "Good. I''ll contact you soon. For now, rx. Don''t go after him yet. We''ll use a different method to lure him out of the academy.


    "Soon, us Hanson will be yours to kill. For now, as I said—rx. Your target is a monster."