Fear and uncertainty gripped Lucille as she pondered Drake's message. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to reply, cautiously typing out her response.“I don't know how to check my reward. My system is still suspended,” she texted back, her fingers trembling slightly.The seconds felt like an eternity as she anxiously awaited Drake's reply. The notification chimed, signaling his response.“I’ll teach you how. Come back here to my office. We have a lot to talk about,” he messaged, leaving Lucille with a sinking feeling in her stomach.“What about Natasha Ling?” she asked.“She already left. Don't worry; she knows nothing about us.”“Okay.”She reluctantly made her way to Drake's office, her mind racing with thoughts of how to navigate the upcoming conversation.As she entered, she found Drake engrossed in a phone call, his back turned to her.She took a deep breath and waited.After finishing the call, Drake turned to her with his usual warm gaze.Lucille felt like choking as s
The next morning, Lucille didn't accompany Drake to work. She claimed she had something to do at the university, which Drake didn't think much about and simply allowed."I have to find out," she murmured to herself as she was escorted to the university by Drake's guard.An ominous thought gnawed at her—that the powers emanating from the miniature temple were not a blessing but a curse. With no real business at the university, she needed to be away from Drake to conduct her investigation."I don't want to unwittingly bargain with the devil instead of a deity," she thought, feeling the weight of her unease."Is something troubling you?" the driver inquired."No, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Lucille responded, her caution heightened, feeling as though every person under Drake's employ was an eye watching her."You seem quite anxious, biting your nails like that, madam," the driver observed, causing Lucille to glance at her ruined nails."I'm just concerned that I'm not of much help to Drak
Lucille felt a wave of relief wash over her as she watched the miniature temple slowly fade away."Who cares about kidneys when there's a health potion?" she muttered, examining her newly restored system. With confidence, she purchased a regeneration potion from her tribute system."There's no way I can ask Drake for a regeneration potion; he would definitely ask for details," she thought, unwrapping the bandages on her hand to conceal the fact that she was missing a finger.However, her confidence quickly faded as her face turned pale, realizing that the regeneration potion wasn't working on her."Why—why isn't it working?" she asked her tribute system."That potion restores something that existed before. You cannot regenerate something non-existent," the tribute system explained.Lucille's jaw dropped in regret and devastation."So once I offer it, I can no longer restore it?" she asked, staring at her hand missing a ring finger while other hand was lightly rubbing her lower rib."T
Inside a hotel in Magrao City, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting warm rays across the room where two brothers, Zemo and Zanjo, sat, their eyes fixed on the view of the city."What a beautiful view, very different from the hell we've seen here," Zemo White commented as he sat on one side of a polished mahogany table, while Zanjo White, his younger brother with a more laid-back demeanor, leaned against the window, gazing at the city below. Both men were dressed in sharp suits, a reflection of their affluent backgrounds.Leaning forward, Zanjo asked, "Zemo, do you really think we can trust Drake Chwe?""He helped us out when Zack tried to ambush us," Zemo replied, focusing more on observing his brother than the outside view. "He promised to protect us, after all."Zemo was well aware that Zanjo White was the one who understood and cared about Zack White the most. That's why he was genuinely worried about his brother's loyalty wavering at any moment."But isn't he more suspic
In a moderately quiet restaurant, the afternoon hummed with comforting sunlight. The atmosphere felt bright and inviting, yet in one corner, two individuals exuded an air of seriousness.One of them was Zack White."So, my dear winner, came to meet you?" The woman asked, her presence stifling as she spoke."She didn't come to me. We met by accident as we have the same target," Zack replied, his gaze involuntarily studying the woman's face.She had been providing system items to him for free, making his progress easier despite his tribute system being suspended.He looked at her with a mix of awe and intrigue."What's intriguing about her is that she always claims she doesn't have any clue about the tribute system, denies being a user, and labels all the system items she possesses as her research items. What a peculiar woman," he thought inwardly, feeling curious whenever he interacted with her. "I don't know what game she's playing, but it's obvious her system was suspended too. She w
Back to Zemo and Zanjo, they still looked perplexed by the sudden news that Zack would be meeting them today."Shall we go?" Zanjo said, pacing back and forth."Are you stupid? We're here to catch him. Why do we have to go? To hide?" Zemo responded, appearing more calm and composed compared to his brother."But Zemo, what if Zack doesn't want to do this at all? What if–" Zanjo began."Enough with your 'what ifs.' We've already discussed this. Don't take his side," Zemo interrupted, pushing his hair back from his face.Zanjo could only swallow his words, unable to voice his concerns.He watched as his brother gathered all their men in the hotel lobby, preparing them as if for war, instructing everyone not to give Zack a chance to retaliate."Shoot him immediately," Zemo instructed coldly after showing Zack and Kale Justinbaste's picture to his men."Don't let your guard down, Zanjo. This will end smoothly if he comes here with his original face or the face we know," he said."I underst
In the luxurious surroundings of the Royal Eleanor Hotel, Drake and Eleanor Chwe were enjoying a peaceful evening together on their balcony, indulging in a lavish dinner and engaging in light conversation about their respective days.While Drake found himself at ease, Eleanor and Lucille seemed less content."How was your day, Ely?" Drake inquired, his tone gentle."Not great," she replied. "Spent most of it in tedious therapy sessions.""Ah, I see," Drake said, relieved. "But it'll be beneficial for you, Ely. Just take it one day at a time.""Fine," she huffed, pouting. "And you?""Just the usual at BellRox Corp," Drake answered casually."Dealing with shady characters?" Eleanor muttered under her breath."What was that?" Drake asked, failing to catch her words."I said, I bet you were just flirting with Lucille there the whole time," Eleanor retorted, her tone tinged with sarcasm."What are you saying? I was just working," Drake replied with a playful smile before leaning in to peck
The memories of Lucille witnessing Drake Chwe kill and store his own mother inside his storage space took her breath away for a moment.She trembled as she gasped, “These memories…”Whether it was because Lucille had become a tribute system user or because Drake was revealing more of his true colors, the resurfacing of her suppressed memories was the least of her worries, she needed to survive!Lucille’s body trembled in fear as she realized that the person in front of her was extremely vicious and terrifying.“He… he killed his mother too,” she stuttered.“What?” Drake asked irritably, knitting his brows. He stepped closer to Lucille, unable to understand her mumbling and puzzled by her sudden terror.“D-don’t come near me!” she exclaimed, her eyes welling up with tears.“Are you scared that I’ll scold you? You shouldn't have stopped me if you were going to be this scared,” he sighed. The aggravation he felt moments ago dissipated as he watched Lucille trembling pitifully in front of