The City of Order

Sui Ming shifted in his seat after witnessing the scene.

Damn… they can target enemies out of thin air?

How the hell is an assassin like me supposed to operate in a place like this?

“What was that thing?”

The crow noticed Sui Ming’s confusion and casually explained,

“That was the [Engraved Law Balance], one of Mingxi City’s national treasures.

Its main function is to monitor and enforce justice throughout the city.

Anyone who performs even the slightest act of injustice will, like that man just now, be bound up like a dumpling by chains from the heavens.”

“That thing doesn’t know I’m here… right?” Sui Ming asked warily.

“Of course not. Just a relic from some ancient age—hardly comparable to my [Deathring],” the crow replied with a smug flap of its wing.

Sui Ming glanced at the pale purple ring on his finger, suspicion rising.

“Is this thing really that powerful?”

He’d always treated it as nothing more than a storage tool—never even considered otherwise.

“See? Sister Crow really does care about you,” she cooed.

“I don’t want you getting chopped to bits by some random magic blade too soon.”

“Fun is best when it lasts, right?”

“…You’re really up to no good.”

The crow ignored him, sipping her juice and cheerfully whistling a tune.

“By the way, what even is this Rhine Academy, really?”

Sui Ming still couldn’t figure out why the crow—or Heikale, for that matter—were so insistent on getting him there.

In his mind, it was just another school. Ordinary, unremarkable.

Or was there something else?

“Oops, my bad. I forgot to explain,” the crow said, smacking her beak lightly.

“Hey, look at me.”

“You’re dying, Sui Ming.”

The news hit Sui Ming like a pigeon dropping out of a clear blue sky—absurd, unexpected, and deeply depressing.

“…You’re serious?”

For once, the crow’s smile vanished.

She answered in a steady, measured tone:

“I’m afraid you still don’t fully understand the danger of the [Abyss]’s corruption.”

“Even normal people, just learning about it, suffer mild effects.

And you? You touched it directly.”

“This is a curse, but also a gift.

That unnamed being who marked you…

That mark is both their recognition and your death sentence.

It gnaws at your fragile life every moment.”

“As things stand, you’ve got maybe… a month left.

I’m not joking, so wipe that doubtful look off your face.”

“As for why I insisted you participate in this entrance trial—

it’s because of the prize for first place: [Echo of Vitality].”

“This relic was originally designed to nourish a [Soul Invoker]’s life force, giving them a better shot at reaching the [Gold Vein] tier.

But more importantly, it lays the foundation for the future jump to [True Manifestation].”

“If [Mortal Dust] is the threshold into the supernatural,

then [Gold Vein] strengthens your body.

[True Manifestation] strengthens your soul.”

“You need [Echo of Vitality] to replenish your life force.

Otherwise—well, get ready to die in thirty days.”

Silence fell over the table.

Sui Ming rested his cheek on his hand, eyes fixed on the fading skyline, his thoughts drifting somewhere far beyond the heavens.

“And your choice?”

The crow’s voice softened.

“To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever spoken to you so seriously.”

“This is your turning point, Sui Ming.

Will you quietly live out your final month in peace?

Or will you defy fate and crawl forward, one more inch, in this cruel world?”

“I’ve no reason to lie to you, Sui Ming.

So—what is your—”

“You think I’ve got a choice?”

Sui Ming cut her off, voice calm, eyes steely.

“Humans are greedy, Miss Crow.”

“I’ve seen brothers betray each other for profit.

Watched scum sell their dignity for wealth.

Watched beasts in human skin ruin lives for petty ambition.”

“Oaths that last forever only do so because breaking them costs more than keeping them.”

“That’s human nature. You can’t run from it.”

“So your answer is?”

“Obviously—I’m robbing heaven blind!”

“Why settle for mediocrity and die quietly,

when I can bet everything and seize tomorrow’s sun?”

“Good! That’s the spirit of my contract-bearer!”

The crow beamed.

“If you didn’t have this kind of nerve, how could you ever stand atop the world?”

“Alright, enough with the shounen anime lines,” Sui Ming deadpanned.

“We’re just being dramatic in a restaurant.”

“Hey, hey, give me my moment. This is your fate-altering decision, you know!”

“Spare me.”

Sui Ming rolled his eyes and turned back toward his food, preparing to resume his assault on the chicken.

Just then, a sharp cry broke out from a nearby table.

“I’m terribly sorry! It was an accident—Miss Elisha didn’t mean to!

We’ll compensate you fully—can you please—”

“You think you can just apologize and be done with it?!”

A loud, rough voice thundered through the restaurant.

A burly man stood, holding up his now completely soaked shirt.

His face reddened with anger.

“This shirt’s brand new!

And now it’s ruined!

What do you plan to do about it?!”

The elder beside the terrified girl bowed in apology.

“We’ve said we’ll pay for the damages.

Please don’t escalate this any further.”

“This is a city of law.

We don’t allow disorder here.”

“Oh yeah?” the man sneered.

“Pay for it? Sure!

This shirt cost fifty thousand Fal.

Go ahead, pay up!”

A faint steam hissed from his skin as his muscular body tensed,

a clear sign—he was a [Soul Invoker].

“Fifty thousand?! Sir, you’re joking, right?

You could buy a jeweled necklace for that!”

The waitress, Elisha, finally spoke up.

“Shut the hell up!

I said it’s fifty thousand!

And if you don’t pay up right now—huh…”

He grabbed the brown-haired girl by her collar, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.

A wicked grin spread across his face as he stared down the panicked old shopkeeper,

a clear message in his eyes: Hand over the money.

The old man sighed.

Then, with trembling fingers, he pulled a silver-white card from his pocket.

Elisha had indeed made a mistake.

The man was being unreasonable, yes…

But even if the peacekeepers arrived, they wouldn’t take sides.

Not when the one making a scene was a powerful [Soul Invoker],

and they were just common folk.

Between money and his only granddaughter,

the old man chose the latter.

Around them, the restaurant continued as if nothing was happening.

No one lifted a finger.

No one wanted to make an enemy of a [Soul Invoker],

especially one who had clearly awakened.

Well—except for a certain penniless lunatic about to starve…