The moment Kei drove the needle into the guy’s throat, everything shifted.

  At first, the man clutched at his neck in confusion. Then, the realization hit him—something was wrong.

  His breath hitched. His body jerked.

  The neurotoxin spread instantly.

  His limbs locked up, muscles spasming violently as his throat refused to work properly.

  He tried to scream—but only a strained gurgle escaped.

  Kei watched with deep fascination, tilting his head slightly as if studying an experiment.

  "Hmm. Paralysis took effect faster than expected. Maybe the bloodstream absorbed it quicker since the throat is highly vascularized?"

  Owen, Kai, and Reese exchanged looks.

  Talia’s grip on her new boots tightened.

  Something about this felt... off.

  Kei snapped his fingers. "Oh! Wait—will it stop his heart first, or shut down his lungs? That’s the real question."

  The paralyzed man convulsed violently, eyes rolling back.

  Kei leaned closer, eyes practically glowing with excitement.

  "Kei."

  Owen’s voice cut through the moment, sharp and serious.

  Kei blinked, as if just now noticing them. "Huh?"

  Owen exhaled heavily, his usual relaxed posture tense. "What are you even doing?"

  Kei gestured at the man, completely unfazed. "Science?"

  No one laughed.

  Kai, who usually found Kei’s antics entertaining, felt a strange sense of unease. Reese shifted uncomfortably, his arms crossed tightly.

  Even Talia, who had tried to kill Kei just an hour ago, now found herself watching him with an expression she couldn't quite place.

  Kei, oblivious to their reactions, sighed dramatically as if someone had asked him to take out the trash.

  "Fine, fine. I’ll make it quick."

  He retrieved another Windpiercer Needle, this one coated in a different substance.

  The man’s remaining allies—who had been frozen in fear—finally snapped out of it.

  "W-Wait! You don’t have to—"

  Kei ignored them.

  Thud.

  The needle pierced clean through the man’s temple.

  His body stiffened instantly, then went completely still.

  Silence.

  Kei stood up, brushing himself off.

  "Well, that was interesting."

  The rest of the wannabe thieves took a slow step backward, their faces drained of all color.

  Kai, Reese, and Owen weren’t much different.

  This wasn’t a fight.

  This wasn’t self-defense.

  And Kei?

  Kei had never looked more relaxed.

  Finally, one of the remaining men gathered his courage, stepping forward with clenched fists.

  "You think we’re just gonna let you get away with this?"

  Kei tilted his head.

  Then, he grinned.

  Not his usual lazy, carefree grin.

  Something colder.

  Something that made even Talia take an instinctive step back.

  "I think," Kei said, stepping forward so his shadow loomed over them, "you should worry less about letting me get away with something… and more about whether I’ll let you leave at all."

  The men didn’t need another warning.

  They ran.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Kai let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

  Talia, for once, wasn’t sure what to say.

  Owen and Reese simply watched Kei carefully, as if seeing him for the first time.

  Kei glanced down at the man he had stabbed twice.

  Then, in a completely casual tone, he muttered:

  "Oh, by the way, that last needle was the antidote."

  Talia, Kai, Reese, and Owen whipped their heads toward him.

  "What?!"

  Kei shrugged, already turning away. "Yeah. The neurotoxin will wear off in about… I dunno, five minutes?"

  The four stared at him.

  Stared at the 'corpse' on the ground.

  Then stared back at Kei.

  Kai ran a hand down his face. "You couldn’t have told us that before you made it look like you just straight-up executed a guy?"

  Kei yawned. "Didn’t think it mattered. It’s not like he’s gonna remember much of it anyway."

  Talia squinted at him. "…You enjoyed that, didn’t you?"

  Kei just smiled.

  And for the first time, it was impossible to tell if it was a joke or not.

  Who definitely weren’t smiling were the guys who had just run away.

  They hadn’t made it far when a voice cut them off.

  "Hey, have you guys seen Owen and the others?"

  The voice belonged to someone who wasn’t supposed to be an enemy. Someone they could maybe—hopefully—trust.

  But the voice noticed something immediately.

  The rampant fear in their eyes.

  Their ragged breathing.

  The way they kept glancing over their shoulders as if expecting something—or someone—to appear out of nowhere.

  "What happened to you guys?"

  One of them practically lunged forward, grabbing onto the new arrival in pure desperation.

  "Please, you have to help us! There’s an insane person trying to kill us! He—he executed Paul in cold blood!"

  "What!?"

  Meanwhile, back at the scene of the supposed "execution"…

  Kei had heard every word.

  He had been trying to listen—his Breeze Force naturally carried the sound to him.

  He saw everything.

  Heard everything.

  And ignored it all the same.

  Owen, on the other hand, sensed the shift in tension within their own group.

  And he didn’t like it.

  Kei might have been acting normal, but after everything that had just happened… Owen wasn’t so sure anymore.

  So, rather than let the atmosphere sit in uneasy silence, he made a decision.

  Stepping forward, he suddenly clapped a hand on Kei’s shoulder.

  "Now that I think about it," Owen said, keeping his tone casual, almost lighthearted, "I have a quest I received a while ago. Would you be able to help me with it?"

  Kei blinked, clearly caught off guard.

  The tense energy lurking beneath the surface was momentarily interrupted.

  Kei tilted his head, rubbing his chin.

  "Quest, huh?"

  Owen nodded. "Yeah. You interested?"

  There was a pause.

  Then, finally—

  Kei grinned.

  "Sure. Why not?"

  And just like that, the conversation shifted gears.

  But the others?

  Talia, Kai, and Reese?

  They weren’t so sure Owen’s distraction had actually helped.

  Because while Kei agreed to the quest, none of them could shake the feeling that…

  Something had changed.

  Kei sighed, but there was an unmistakable glint of excitement in his eyes.

  "Seems like we should’ve left yesterday. At least you guys, anyway."

  Kai frowned. "Huh? What do you mean—"

  "Hold it right there!"

  A sharp voice cut through the air.

  Talia’s eyes narrowed. "Wait a second… Didn’t they just leave?"

  Reese’s head snapped toward the source of the voice, his brow furrowing. "What are they doing back here?"

  The group from before—the ones who had run away terrified—were now standing right in front of them again.

  But something was different.

  They didn’t look frightened anymore.

  If anything… they looked determined.

  And that?

  That didn’t make sense.

  Kai’s voice dropped lower. "Don’t they learn?"

  Reese shifted slightly, eyes scanning them. "Why do they seem like they’re not scared anymore?"

  Kei grinned.

  "That’s the fun part. Let’s find out."

  "You must be the reason they aren’t scared."

  Kei’s grin widened, but the new arrival ignored him completely.

  "I’ve been told you stole my members’ equipment and materials."

  Kei barely had time to respond before Owen scoffed, stepping forward.

  "What? No, we didn’t. They tried to claim our stuff as theirs, talking about ‘generous donations’ and all that nonsense."

  The man—Orin Graves, leader of the Black Talon group—let his gaze slowly drift to the pile of equipment on the ground. His brow arched as he caught sight of the boots in Talia’s hands.

  "Then explain this." His voice was cold. "And while you’re at it, tell me why one of my men is lying on the ground, looking very much dead."

  Talia clicked her tongue. "Graves, you seriously believe your guys were capable of securing equipment like this? It’s not theirs. It was given to us."

  Orin’s expression didn’t change.

  If anything, his eyes darkened.

  "And what, you think your little improvement is enough to secure all of this?" His gaze swept over them, filled with condescension. "And you said ‘donated’? If you’re going to lie, at least have the decency to tell the whole truth."

  Then, his voice dropped lower.

  "Because if you don’t, I can promise you—not even Dragbane could protect you."

  And then—

  He unleashed his presence.

  A wave of pure pressure crashed over them.

  Talia, Kai, Reese, and Owen all faltered, their bodies instinctively locking up.

  Their breathing grew shallow. Their muscles tensed.

  For the first time in a long while, they felt small.

  Orin Graves wasn’t just strong.

  He was terrifying.

  Kei, on the other hand, was staring at his status screen, tapping his chin curiously.

  "Hmmm. My skill must’ve advanced if this moron completely ignored me… but it doesn’t seem like it changed at all. Really strange."

  His voice cut through the suffocating tension, breaking the oppressive weight Orin Graves had unleashed. His friends took the moment to breathe again.

  One of the Black Talon members who had fled earlier pointed straight at Kei, voice shaking but determined.

  "Leader Graves, it was him! He’s the one responsible for Paul!"

  Orin’s sharp gaze flicked toward Kei. "Him?"

  The other members nodded furiously.

  "He attacked us first!"

  "We were just minding our business, and he went crazy!"

  "Paul tried to stop him, but he—he just killed him without hesitation!"

  Kei blinked. Then blinked again.

  "That’s not even remotely what happened, but okay."

  Orin’s expression darkened. "So you’re admitting you had something to do with this?"

  Kei sighed theatrically. "No, I’m admitting these guys have zero creativity. Come on, at least make up a better story if you’re gonna lie. ‘We were just minding our business’—really? What business? Did you get lost on the way to the market?"

  The Black Talon members stiffened.

  "You—!"

  Kei yawned. "Oh, don’t get all worked up. I’m just saying, if you’re gonna frame me, at least make it entertaining."

  Orin’s voice dropped lower.

  "You better answer me honestly. Why did you kill my member?"

  Kei tilted his head. "Killed? Now that’s a serious accusation to throw around."

  He stretched before suddenly hopping on the balls of his feet, as if prepping for a marathon.

  Orin’s eyes narrowed. "Do you take me for a fool?"

  Kei’s grin widened. "Yes, very much so. Am I supposed to take you as someone who has any sense?"

  A dangerous glint flashed in Orin’s eyes. "Do you dare?"

  Kei let out a mock gasp. "Wow. That’s so cliché." Then, before Orin could react, he added, "But since you’re asking, I dare get your mom pregnant—that’s what I dare."

  Silence.

  Orin’s entire body tensed. "You’ll answer for that."

  Kei waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t threaten your stepdad. Go to your room."