The bell above Vance's door chimed with a mocking cheerfulness as Julian and Lyra stepped back onto the cobblestone streets. Julian was clutching several enchanted boxes as if they were his own internal organs, while Lyra walked with a newfound, terrifying elegance, her silver hair catching the afternoon sun.
'That was 12,000 gold,' Julian thought, his heart doing a slow, painful crawl toward his stomach. 'I've essentially spent the equivalent of a small warship to ensure I don't get deleted from the timeline. The ROI on this is abysmal.'
[System Notification: Indignation Meter: 75% -> 60%]
[Status: Debt-Ridden but Alive]
"You're remarkably quiet, Julian," Lyra noted, her voice lacking its usual razor edge. She was currently wearing the Moon-Spun Ruby pendant, and the way it pulsed against her neck was distractingly beautiful—and distractingly expensive.
"I am observing a moment of silence for my savings account," Julian wheezed, leaning heavily on his cane. "It was so young. It had so much potential."
They hadn't walked half a block before the atmosphere shifted. The bustling shoppers of the Promenade suddenly seemed to vanish into side alleys, and the air grew thick with a familiar, aggressive mana signature.
Three shadows stretched long across the street. Standing at the end of the alleyway were Marquis D'Vayne's bodyguards—the two granite-faced thugs from the shop, now joined by a third man wearing a mask of suppressed slaughter.
"The Marquis doesn't like losing," the lead thug rumbled, his fists cracking like falling boulders. "He wants the gold back. And he wants the girl's hands broken for touching what was 'his'."
Julian felt the temperature around him drop thirty degrees. Lyra's hand drifted toward the hem of her new Moon-Spun dress, her purple eyes flickering with a murderous violet flame.
'If she fights here, the Royal Guard will be on us in seconds,' Julian realized. 'The Saintess's mana signature is like a flare in the dark. Valerya will be here before the first body hits the ground.'
"Lyra," Julian whispered, stepping in front of her. "Don't. If you use your mana, the 'Silence Tax' becomes a 'Public Execution' tax."
"They threatened my hands, Julian," she hissed, the ground beneath her boots beginning to crack.
"I know," Julian said, his "lit" stare returning, more manic than ever. "But I'm the Master Magician here. Let me show you why I'm a high-value asset."
[System Notification: Combat Triggered!]
[Warning: Your Constitution is at 2%. Current Status: 'Glass Cannon without the Cannon'.]
[Available Skill: 'Laws of the Void - Deconstruction' (Rank: SSS)]
[Warning: Using this will cost 30 Days of Lifespan and may cause structural failure of your spine.]
'Thirty days?!' Julian screamed internally. 'That's a month of my life! I could buy so many stocks in a month!'
But the thugs were already moving. The lead man lunged, his fist glowing with Earth-Attribute mana, aiming directly for Julian's head.
"FINE!" Julian roared, slamming his cane into the ground. "TAKE THE TAX!"
"LAWS OF THE VOID: ABSOLUTE DECONSTRUCTION!"
Julian didn't just cast a spell; he became a conduit. A shockwave of pure, colorless energy erupted from his cane. It didn't push the thugs back—it simply unmade the momentum of the world. The lead thug's Earth-mana vanished. His armor turned into fine dust. The street itself seemed to forget it was made of stone.
For a split second, Julian looked like a god of the abyss, his eyes glowing with a terrifying, hollow light.
Then, the recoil hit.
Julian's spine made a sound like a bag of dry noodles being stepped on. Blood sprayed from his nose, decorating the front of his expensive velvet coat.
"Ugh... my... my net worth..." Julian managed to gurgle before his knees buckled.
The thugs stood frozen, their weapons gone, their mana circuits fried, staring in horror at the dying man who had just erased their power with a flick of a cane. They didn't wait for a second round; they turned and bolted as if the God of Death itself was chasing them.
[System Notification: Quest 'The Ego Audit' - SUCCESS!]
[Penalty Applied: -30 Days Lifespan]
[Current Lifetime: 160 Days]
[Health Status: CRITICAL - Internal Organ Liquefaction Imminent]
Julian slumped against a wall, his vision fading to black. He felt a pair of soft, frantic hands catch him before he hit the dirt.
"Julian?! You idiot! Why did you do that?!" Lyra's voice was trembling, her "Indignation Meter" completely vanishing, replaced by something much more chaotic.
"Had to... protect... the investment..." Julian whispered, a faint, bloody smirk on his lips. "Can't have... my consultant... getting... messy..."
He looked up at her, his eyes losing focus. "By the way... that dress... really does look... 6,000 gold... worth of cool..."
His head lolls back as he passes out, leaving a horrified Saintess clutching a broken Master Magician in the middle of a dust-covered street.