Lifespan Burning System: Master Everything by Burning Lifespan!
Chapter 39: He’s too strong… My brea—no, my heart is itching.

Chapter 39: He’s too strong... My brea—no, my heart is itching.

The System explained how the ant had got its sound skill. It had bonded with the Wind element. But its simple mind could not understand the complex nature of wind.

It had perceived the wind only as "vibration" and "sound." That was how it developed its powerful shriek attack.

Rhys frowned.

"Wind?" he muttered to himself.

That did not make sense. What had been lacking in the caverns until now was wind. Even a small breeze was absent.

The air was still and heavy. Where did the ant find wind to bond with?

He felt as if he was missing a piece of a larger puzzle. He chose to forget that for now. He had more immediate problems.

"Juice Box," Yuki’s voice said quietly from beside him. "Some other humans are hiding."

Rhys did not look surprised. He had already sensed them during the fight. With his heightened senses, he could accurately pinpoint their presence at the edge of the cavern.

He had fought while bloacking his appearance from them.

They had been watching the whole time. He slowly put his treasures into his spatial pouch. He then reached up and took out his Shadowcat Pelt Mask.

He calmly put it on. The ash-caked mask covered his face, hiding his identity. He turned around to face them.

*

* *

Anya stared from the shadows of the tunnel exit. She felt stunned. She felt horrified. And she felt a strange, thrilling fascination.

’He is that man,’ she thought, recalling the man who had almost killed her.

Her hands trembled as she replayed the fight in her mind. The fight she had just witnessed was impossible.

A single person had taken down a Feral-Grade monster!

He had not just defeated it; he had dominated it. His movements were like a ghost. He used the environment, his skills, and his intelligence in a perfect, deadly hunt.

Like a true predator.

The more horrifying fact was that, rather than feeling fear, her heart fluttered with a thrill.

She remembered the words her grandfather had said before.

"The great Kaelon was a fearsome warrior. He was a man who could kill a spiritual beast with his bare hands. A man who was a terrifying expert. But that same man tumbled before a Feral and died under an Elite."

Yet he was called a prodigy who appeared once in a century. Whereas this man had just killed a Feral in ten minutes.

She made a mental note.

Never offend this man.

He was on a completely different level from them.

’Can he fight an Elite?’ Anya shook off that absurd thought.

Still, the possibility of it almost took her breath away.

’How can I become acquainted with him?’ she thought.

For the future of her family, she was ready to sacrifice her soul... no... body to...

Her face burned. Before she could return to her calm and collected state, a haughty voice sounded from her group.

"Boy, how dare you steal from our Thorne family?"

That was the exact moment the stupid Tiberius Thorne decided to open his foolish, smelly mouth.

Fuck.

Anya sharply glared at him, causing him to flinch. But rather than understanding her order to be silent, he added, "...and from the Sterlings."

A pin-drop silence commenced in the surroundings. Anya turned to look at Aiden. His face mirrored her own expression of shock and disbelief.

He seemed frozen, unable to even stop his foolish brother from speaking further. Tiberius seemed to like the attention he was getting.

He mistook the shocked gazes of the group as looks of awe. He puffed out his chest and continued, his voice full of arrogance.

"We men of the Thorne family are not bullies," he declared, taking a step out of the tunnel.

"Leave what you have taken from that beast behind, and you can save yourself."

He never wanted to let them go. The killing intent in his eyes was evident. She could guess his reasoning.

After all, these two people were not from any of the great families. Still, why did this fool not understand their situation now?

Anya cursed internally, unable to speak as she was terrified. She was going to slap the stupid boy back to his senses when she noticed how his eyes moved from the masked man to the beautiful, silver-haired girl—no, corpse—standing beside him.

The glint in his eyes was too familiar to her as a woman.

’No... no...’

Tiberius licked his lips with a disgusting expression.

"Also, leave that beauty behind for me t—"

He did not get a chance to speak further. A thin, red line appeared on his forehead. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, the line split open. White brain matter and dark blood jumped out from the cut. His creepy grin was forever frozen on his face as his body fell lifelessly.

Every head turned to the silver-haired woman. She had just raised her hand for a split second. Now, she was slowly retracting it, her expression as blank and indifferent as ever.

Silence.

The entire cavern was completely silent.

The Thorne and Sterling disciples stared at the body of the dead heir, their faces pale with shock and terror.

"Well," the masked man finally spoke. His voice was a low, calm rumble, but it sent shivers down Anya’s spine.

Her legs almost gave out. The sound of his voice was powerful. It was filled with a confidence she had never heard before.

’How wonderful,’ she thought, a strange sense of awe filling her.

"Yuki," the masked man said, turning to the silver-haired woman. "I don’t like violence, you know?"

He said it in a soft, chiding tone. It was like a man scolding a naughty pet.

The corpse, the terrifying being who had just killed a Thorne heir with a single swipe of her hand, stared back at him.

Anya saw an expression of accusation in her light blue eyes.

She gulped. A being so powerful was acting like a tamed beast in front of this man. How strong was he?

Wait. Anya’s mind suddenly focused on a different problem. She wanted to ask how someone like you could enter this place with such strength, but what came out was—

"How did you enter here?" she asked. Her voice was a little shaky.

Fuck.

The masked man turned his head. His pitch-black eyes, visible through the mask, focused on her.

"I entered through the entrance," he said simply.

"You are ly-lying," Aiden Thorne finally spoke. He was smart; Anya gave him a thumbs up for that. Even after seeing his own brother die before him, he had not lost his senses.

Yet. She peeked at her own sister and shook her head, seeing the pale, mortified face. Luckily, Luna was a coward who froze in danger.

At least she would never offend him. Aiden swallowed hard, trying to make his voice sound less sharp and scared.

"Only those with an identification token from the five families can enter here."

"But I entered through the entrance," the masked man repeated. "And I did not have an identification token. It seems there is no real restriction, I guess."

His voice was calm, but Anya could hear the mockery in his words. Aiden clenched his fists. His face was red with anger.

When had he ever been treated like this? He was the proud heir of the Thorne family. But he could only suppress his anger.

He knew that if he acted, he would end up just like his brother.

"Are you the one who was attacked by the ancestors for intrud—" Aiden started to ask.

"Intruding?" the masked man laughed. It was a cold, humourless sound. "I just walked into a place that was open for everyone. How is that intruding?"

His voice suddenly turned cold.

"Or are you lot saying this labyrinth is monopolised by you?"

The dust in the surroundings started to churn. The fine, golden crystal dust on the ground began to rise into the air. Sharp particles seemed to form in the swirling dust cloud.

A shockwave, silent but lethal, was carried on his voice. It hit the disciples like a physical blow. The weaker disciples fell to their knees.

Blood started to trickle from their ears. They cried out in pain. Only Anya, Aiden, and a few of the stronger disciples managed to stay on their feet.

But even they staggered back, their faces pale.

"N-no... I-I am..." Aiden stammered. He was trying to apologise, but he was too scared to form the words.

"Enough of this chat," the masked man said, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"Drop everything you have collected."

"Wh—" a young Thorne disciple opened his mouth to protest.

"I said, DROP."