Chapter 12
With fury etched across its face, the default user lunged at Solomon. Solomon knew the creature was being driven by pure rage; it was attacking without calculation, which finally gave him an opening. Though the strikes were brutal and left him gasping for breath as he dodged to avoid a lethal blow, Solomon's eyes narrowed with intent.
His fingers crossed over the deck, adjusting his grip on the cards.
The monster threw another strike. Solomon leaped into the air, his legs tucked tight to avoid the swinging wooden limbs. While mid-air, he snapped his wrist. The cards fanned out at lightning speed, racing toward the creature's hands. As they struck home, a wet, sickening sound resonated across the room.
The cards dug deep into the thick, woody appendages. Though they looked like solid timber, they were still made of living flesh. As the cards embedded themselves, a dark red fluid surged out, forcing a jagged scream from the default user.
Not wasting a second, Solomon gritted his teeth and rushed forward, seizing his chance. He aimed for the monster's eyes. In a blurred, stabbing motion, Solomon drove the cards into the creature's sockets repeatedly. His expression was blank, his movements messy but relentless—he didn't hesitate for a moment.
"I'll take my revenge!!!" the default user roared, his voice trembling with agony.
A small, mocking smirk played at the corner of Solomon's mouth. "You can seek your revenge in hell... fatty."
It was the final remark before a rage-filled roar tore from the monster. Red fluid continued to pour from its wounds until, finally, its body began to dematerialize—fading away beyond any logic or imagination.
Solomon took a ragged breath once the monster had fully vanished. His eyes trailed down to his bloodied hands and the crimson-stained cards. With a flick of his wrist, he flung them across the room.
[$30,000 Soul Coin credit to Host > A-Class default user successfully killed]
[Mission: Building a Business (Earn immediate profit) — STATUS: INCOMPLETE]
[Consequence of Failure: Crippled status]
[Time remaining: 29 hours]
I almost forgot about that, Solomon thought, his heart sinking.
Behind them, in the room where the fight had ended, the Red Panda Casino's guards were alive—barely. They lay groaning on the floor with cards still embedded in their necks. The casino leader would eventually find out, and he would be furious. Solomon filed that under "problems for later" and kept moving.
"Brother!"
The call broke Solomon's rhythm. Turning his head, he saw his sister and realized she was still in the room. Hehe, I'm out of energy for any explanations right now...
"Brother, are you okay?" Yuvia finally reached him, squatting down to examine him like a worried mother.
"Yuvia, I'm totally fine. Really." Solomon forced a smile, darting his eyes away. He prayed she wouldn't start asking questions about what had just happened.
"Brother, what was that thing? You just killed it... but it was a person before it transformed." Her tone held a lingering sense of justice, almost as if she were conflicted about Solomon killing the default user.
Solomon tilted his head, trying to figure out a plausible lie. "That thing almost killed you, and I couldn't let that happen. And besides, Yuvia, I'm just pretty good with cards," he chuckled, trying to keep the air light and joking.
There was no need to explain further. The system remained a secret; as far as she was concerned, he had just used a strange talent with cards. Strange things happened in the D-Class area all the time; this would just be another one of them.
"I don't know what that thing was, Yuvia. Who knows what these high-class people are up to these days."
As Solomon spoke, keeping his tone casual and laced with the usual district-wide hatred for the elites, Yuvia observed him closely. Solomon gulped, momentarily terrified that she wasn't buying it.
"Brother, you're safe, and that's all that matters. You saved me, Solomon," Yuvia said, her expression softening. "I can't believe my little brother is the one protecting his older sister." She hugged him cheerfully, finally breaking the tension.
An awkward mental exclamation mark appeared over his head—he hadn't expected such a warm reaction. It seemed she had accepted his story... but had she really? This was Yuvia; she wasn't dumb.
Regardless, she hadn't mentioned the system, so he was safe from her sharp mind for now.
"Solomon, you killed that... thing. We need to get out of here. We need another exit,"
Yuvia said, standing up and staring at the door. "The A-Class man's guards are outside, and the casino leader... we really don't want to get on their bad side right now!"
Alarm bells blared in Solomon's mind.
Another problem. He had almost forgotten—the casino leader was a seasoned gangster. It wasn't that he couldn't handle a criminal, but he was physically exhausted and had a pending mission that took priority.
"Solomon, what are we going to do?" Yuvia turned to him, her face full of concern.
Solomon looked up, his eyes tracing the ceiling intently. Without wasting time, he stood up. "We're going through the roof, Yuvia."
"The roof? How?!" Yuvia asked, looking utterly clueless.
Solomon's lips twitched. "By digging our heads into it like worms, obviously, dumbass," he teased, chuckling.
"I see how it is, you little brat. I don't have time for your jokes right now. Getting out is more important. How are we supposed to get through the roof?"
Solomon's expression turned serious. He walked over to where a single card lay on the floor and picked it up. "With this, we can go across the rooftop."
The idea had just come to him, though it was an experiment he wasn't entirely sure of. He didn't know if the card was strong enough to cut through the structure. The roof was a reinforced composite of platinum and aluminum.
"Better to try than to never know." Solomon's gaze sharpened as he thrust the card toward the ceiling. The card whistled through the air and embedded itself deep into the metal.
"That seems like a useless effort," Solomon muttered with a frustrated smile. He looked at the tiny sliver of cardstock, wondering how he was supposed to cut a hole big enough for two people.
Suddenly, the sound of shouting followed by heavy banging erupted at the door.
"Brother, they're here!"