Chapter 826 – A Test

Lux stepped forward, eyes fixed on the newly revealed passage. The mountain had acknowledged them. Accepted them.

For now.

He glanced back at the group, confidence radiating from his posture. "Alright," he said smoothly, "let’s see what other secrets this place is hiding."

They were about to step forward when the mountain decided otherwise.

With a thunderous rumble, the newly opened passage slammed shut, sealing the exit with finality. The sound echoed through the vast chamber like the closing of a colossal jaw. Dust and ancient mana particles drifted through the air as the torches flickered violently, their flames bending as if bowing to an unseen presence.

Then came the voice.

It wasn’t spoken in any language they understood. It was ancient, raw, guttural, resonating deep within their bones rather than their ears.

Naomi’s hand instinctively moved into a defensive stance.

Ely’s magic shimmered faintly around her fingertips.

Rava’s tentacles stirred beneath her cloak, ready to strike.

Mira’s expression darkened as recognition dawned.

"Oh no..." she whispered.

Lux tilted his head slightly, unfazed. "What did it say?"

Mira swallowed, her gaze fixed on the chamber’s ceiling where the sound seemed to originate. "I want a test," she said. "Proof that we are worthy to pass through."

A deep roar reverberated through the chamber.

Then another.

And another.

The echoes multiplied, shaking the ground beneath their feet as something massive began to stir within the surrounding tunnels. The voice returned, louder this time, commanding, undeniable.

Mira’s eyes widened. "It demands that we kill by our own hands," she translated. "No servants. No summoned beings."

There was a brief silence.

Then Lux smiled.

Not nervously.

Not hesitantly.

But with the kind of calm confidence that made the girls’ hearts race for entirely different reasons.

"Fine," he said casually. "No servants."

Demonic energy flickered around his hands as he summoned his twin daggers.

"And I guess," he added, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for a casual workout, "this will be enough."

The girls exchanged glances, their anticipation sharpening. They had seen Lux strategize, manipulate, and command, but watching him fight personally was a rarer spectacle. A dangerous one. A captivating one.

Then the monsters arrived.

From the surrounding tunnels, more than a dozen dragon echoes emerged, spectral yet terrifyingly solid. Their forms were twisted draconic beasts.

Elongated jaws filled with jagged teeth, wings that flickered between material and ethereal states, and claws that scraped against the stone with a sound like grinding metal. Their eyes burned with ancient fury, locked onto the intruders with predatory intent.

With a unified roar, they pounced.

Time seemed to slow.

From the girls’ perspective, Lux didn’t react with panic or brute force. He flowed.

He moved like a shadow given form.

The first creature lunged at him, jaws wide enough to swallow him whole. Lux sidestepped with effortless grace, his body twisting just enough to evade the attack. In the same motion, one dagger sliced upward, carving through the creature’s throat. Ethereal blood erupted into the air as the beast’s momentum carried it past him before collapsing into fragments of mana.

Naomi felt her breath hitch.

He was fast.

Faster than she had ever seen.

The second dragon echo attacked from behind. Lux didn’t even turn. His dagger flicked backward in a reverse grip, piercing through the creature’s eye socket and into its skull. He twisted the blade, and the monster disintegrated with a guttural shriek.

Rava’s lips parted in awe. "Okay... that’s hot."

Lux pivoted as two more beasts charged simultaneously. He slid low across the stone floor, severing one creature’s forelegs before driving his other dagger upward into the abdomen of the second. Mana and spectral gore splattered across the ground as he rose smoothly to his feet, already moving toward the next target.

Ely watched, mesmerized by the brutal elegance of his movements. This wasn’t the composed CFO they knew, the man of contracts and calculated smiles. This was something primal. Controlled violence wrapped in sophistication. A king who didn’t hesitate to stain his hands when necessary.

Mira felt a surge of pride and something deeper, something instinctive. This was the man she had chosen. A leader who could command armies yet still stand at the front lines when needed.

Another creature leapt from above. Lux caught it mid-air.

He stepped forward, driving both daggers into its chest before slamming it into the ground with bone-crushing force. The impact shattered the stone beneath them, and the beast dissolved beneath him in a burst of fading mana.

More came.

They surrounded him now, circling like wolves sensing a worthy prey.

Lux exhaled slowly, eyes gleaming with exhilaration. His suit was now marked with streaks of spectral blood, his hair slightly disheveled, yet his posture remained immaculate, like a predator enjoying the hunt.

From the girls’ perspective, it was intoxicating.

Naomi clenched her fists, resisting the urge to join in immediately. Watching him fight ignited a fierce admiration within her. He wasn’t just powerful, he was fearless.

Rava’s tentacles curled with excitement. "I didn’t know accountants could do that."

Ely whispered softly, "He’s... magnificent."

Mira simply smiled, her eyes reflecting the carnage. "This is Greed," she murmured. "He takes what he wants."

Lux spun, ducked beneath a sweeping claw, and countered with a brutal upward strike that split another creature in half. The two halves disintegrated before hitting the ground, leaving only drifting particles of mana in their wake.

A larger dragon echo roared and charged directly at him, its massive form dwarfing the others. Lux didn’t retreat. He ran toward it.

At the last moment, he leapt, planting a foot against the creature’s snout and launching himself upward. Mid-air, he drove both daggers into the top of its skull and used the momentum to flip over its body, ripping the blades free as he landed behind it. The beast staggered, then collapsed, dissolving into luminous fragments.

The girls stared.

A CFO who killed. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

A businessman drenched in battle.

A man of contracts and blood.

It was a dangerously alluring contradiction, one that stirred something deep within each of them.

Lux straightened, rolling his neck as the remaining monsters hesitated, their numbers dwindling rapidly.

He glanced briefly toward the girls, a confident smirk tugging at his lips as if to say, ’See? I’ve got this’.

And from their point of view, he had never looked cooler.