100% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?

The Magic Book appeared. It glided weightlessly through the air as though it possessed a soul of its own.

Cielius froze. His body trembled as if struck by lightning.

"Th-that is…" His voice faltered. His eyes widened as small tears welled at their corners.

Then... something impossible happened.

The Magic Book shifted on its own.

Lucien blinked in surprise. Never before had it acted independently. Yet now, before their very eyes, it spiraled around Cielius... It fluttered like a creature overjoyed to see a long-lost companion.

The sight left everyone stunned.

"Cienna… is that you?" Cielius whispered. His words were soft and fragile as though he were calling to someone just beyond reach.

At the sound of his voice, the Magic Book bounced lightly in the air... as if answering him.

Gasps rippled through the group. Shock filled their faces but none more than Edric and Maxim.

They had heard Cielius's whisper. Their expressions shifted.

Their eyes flicked from the Book to Lucien then back to Cielius. Whatever realization struck them, they chose silence, saying nothing.

Sebas, however, watched with a rare softness in his eyes. He stepped back, closing them as though the sight stirred an old memory he dared not speak aloud.

Lucien himself was no less shaken. He had always known his Magic Book was extraordinary but this? To not only move on its own but to recognize someone…

His books were far from simple.

Soon after, the Magic Book drifted back into Lucien's hands as though nothing had happened.

Cielius quickly wiped the corner of his eye, embarrassed by his moment of weakness. He cleared his throat with a few coughs, pretending composure.

Lucien gave him a small nod. Their gazes met and a faint, understanding smile passed between them.

Then Lucien turned to the others.

"I'll try to remove the bleak magic circles from the assassins now," he said evenly.

There was no promise in his tone... only the weight of caution.

He didn't know if it was even possible. This would be an experiment.

Lucien activated Divine Sense.

The assassins' bodies glowed in his perception.

Some of them told a darker story. Their color pulsed with true malice. Their essence was twisted by enjoyment of killing.

Those, Lucien decided, would serve as his test subjects. If anything went wrong, he would feel no guilt. He still had no idea how the bleak magic would react to outside interference.

Step by step, he approached one of the darkest auras.

The Magic Book fluttered open in his hand. His eyes scanned its pages, settling on one particular entry.

Eclipse Attribute. Seal of Dissonance.

He closed his eyes and pictured the intricate symbol, then lifted his hand. A Dominion Circle flared to life at his fingertips, drawing the exact image from the Book.

The air hummed with power as the magic circle formed, pulsing faintly with eclipse energy.

Then... Lucien released it.

The Seal of Dissonance shot forward like a streak of light, aimed straight at the assassin.

It was a spell designed to disrupt... to scramble and shatter the structure of another circle. If anything could unravel the bleak seal, this was it.

Or so he thought...

The moment the circle touched the assassin, his body convulsed violently.

The bleak mark flared to life, glowing with a sinister light. Then as if ignited from within, the assassin began to burn.

"AGHHHKKK!"

His scream tore through the air. Raw and agonized. His eyes shot open as consciousness was forced back by the unbearable pain.

Lucien instinctively summoned light magic to ease the suffering but instead... the assassin's agony worsened.

The light only fed the curse. Cracks split across his flesh like porcelain shattering under pressure.

And then... silence. His body collapsed, lifeless.

"…That killed him."

[Ting!]

<Congratulations: Level 60 Reached!>

'Fuck you, System! Wrong timing!'

He shook his head.

No one else spoke. The air was thick with dread. For the first time, they truly saw the cruelty of the bleak circles.

It wasn't just control. It was torment. Even death came only through unbearable suffering.

A heavy helplessness settled over them.

But Lucien pressed on. He couldn't stop here.

He turned the page and used another magic circle.

The Reflective Seal.

This one should have bounced the commands back to the caster. If successful, it could strike at the source.

He cast it... only for the same result to unfold.

Convulsions. Screaming. Burning from within. The assassin's body broke apart in pain before falling silent forever.

Lucien's expression hardened.

Again, he tried. And again. Failure.

Every magic circle, every attempt ended the same way. No matter what attribute he called upon, nothing could break the curse. The bleak circle endured them all.

It wasn't just attached to the body.

It clung to the soul.

Lucien's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's it… Souls."

The realization struck him like a spark in the dark. He quickly flipped the Magic Book's pages.

Cosmic Attribute. Circle of the Unbound Soul.

Without hesitation, he invoked Dominion Circle and the intricate pattern bloomed into existence at his fingertips. He cast it forward.

This time, everything changed.

The moment the circle touched an assassin, his body flared with a radiant glow. His entire being shimmered as if layers of corruption were being stripped away.

And then they saw it—

A luminous figure began to rise from the assassin's body. Fragile and trembling yet undeniably beautiful. As sunlight streamed down, the rays wrapped around it, cleansing and restoring.

The bleak magic circle writhed in resistance. Its dark lines twisted violently as though trying to hold on. But against the light, it crumbled... splintering apart before dissolving into nothingness.

The glowing figure gently sank back into the assassin's body. And just like that, everything stilled as though nothing had ever happened.

For a long moment, silence reigned.

Everyone could only stare, speechless. What they had just witnessed was nothing short of a miracle.

At last—

They had found the solution.

Relief swept through the group. They rejoiced.

But it wasn't over.

Lucien's gaze shifted toward the brainwashed captives. Unlike the assassins, their souls were not corrupted by force.

He already knew the remedy.

Light Attribute. Circle of True Will.

Once activated, the light spread across their minds like the warmth of dawn, peeling away the corruption layer by layer.

It was as if they were being bathed in the morning glow. Their spirits lifted as though awakening from a long, suffocating nightmare.

Lucien knelt beside the freed men, coaxing him awake.

The man's eyes fluttered open. Tears immediately streamed down his face.

He was broken.

He was weary.

He was drowning in sorrow.

Memories came flooding back...

The years of helplessness.

The atrocities he committed while his will was stolen from him.

Every crime, every moment… all etched into his mind though it hadn't been his choice.

The weight was unbearable.

And then... the unexpected.

With trembling hands, the man seized the sword at his side and tried to plunge it into his own body.

But Lucien was faster. He caught the blade mid-motion.

"Hey," he said sharply. "I worked hard to free you. And now you want to throw your life away?"

The man groaned, collapsing under the weight of his guilt. His voice cracked.

"Young master… we know you. I'm sorry… so sorry. We weren't ourselves. We've done unforgivable things. We deserve death."

Lucien was silent for a long moment. Then, gently, he placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Decide later. For now, wait. And listen to me before you choose your fate."

With that, he pressed on.

The Circle of True Will glowed at each fingertip. Beams of light shoot out one after another. Slowly, he cleansed person by person.

There were so many… nearly five hundred of them.

But Lucien did not stop. Once finished with the captives, he turned to the assassins, invoking the Circle of the Unbound Soul again and again.

Each person freed brought another surge of exhaustion. His mind was heavy from the constant visualization of the circles.

And at last… it was done.

The captives stirred awake. Their eyes were cleared as if surfacing from a long darkness. The assassins, too, stood dazed.

Lucien staggered slightly. His body held firm but mentally he was stretched thin.

But he had freed them all.

But then…

The freed assassins suddenly grew tense. Their hands tightened on their weapons and their bodies shifted instinctively into a battle stance.

One man stepped forward. a Tier 7 assassin with sharp eyes and a commanding presence.

His voice cracked with disbelief.

"Sebas! Is that you?"

The other assassins froze. Slowly, their hostility ebbed.

Sebas flinched. His jaw tightened as he glanced over his shoulder.

"You are mistaken," he said flatly. "I am Sebastian."

Lucien almost laughed aloud at the stiff denial. Even the others around him were amused by the obvious lie.

"Sebas… don't be like this," one of the assassins murmured.

Lucien's eyes narrowed. He extended his Divine Sense, brushing over the Tier 7 assassin's soul. The man was not truly evil. His essence bore stains of coercion, chains not unlike those Sebas had once carried.

He nudged Sebas lightly.

"You can talk to them," Lucien said. "It seems you know each other."

Then leaning in, he whispered so only Sebas could hear.

"If possible, bring them back with us. Let them become citizens. But first... we'll need answers. Everything they know about our enemies."

Sebas gave a small nod.

Meanwhile, Lucien turned his focus back to the brainwashed group.

What he saw there cut deeper than any blade.

The people he freed stood in silence. Their expressions were hollow.

They were not villains. They were victims.

Survivors of villages plundered by Coalheart.

Travelers kidnapped for the "crime" of possessing useful skills.

Rebels who refused to submit and paid with their freedom of will.

Though their bodies had obeyed, their minds had remained conscious. Every step, every atrocity, every scream... they remembered it all.

Now that the chains were broken, the weight came crashing down.

Some wept silently.

Some trembled, fists clenched in shame.

And some… some stared at the ground with dead eyes, blades already in hand.

They wanted to end it themselves.

It was as if they had already given up on their own worth.

But then…

Lucien stepped forward.

The moment his presence washed over them, the freed group stiffened. Some swallowed hard. Others instinctively averted their eyes.

"Everyone," Lucien began. "I won't pretend to understand the pain you're carrying right now. What you feel must be overwhelming and disheartening."

His gaze swept across them.

"But one thing I do know. None of this was your fault. The blame lies with our enemies. With the ones who chained your bodies and crushed your wills."

A ripple passed through the group. Their hollow eyes flickered as if a spark had been lit.

They remembered what Lucien had just done. He was the one who had freed them.

Lucien's tone hardened.

"So I ask you, will you end it here? Will you throw away the chance to make it right? Those who harmed your families, those who tore you from your loved ones… stand with me and we will purge our enemies."

The words burned into them, igniting something deep within.

Fists clenched.

Shoulders straightened.

Their gazes sharpened with long-buried resolve.

Color returned to their faces.

Lucien pressed on.

"We can die helpless… or we can die fighting. The choice is yours."

That broke them. A roar of voices exploded like thunder.

"Young master, I will follow you!"

"Coalheart will pay in blood!"

"For my family. For everything they took. I'll fight!"

Their cries mingled together. A chorus of rage and longing turned into purpose.

Lucien nodded slowly, watching the fire in their eyes return. For the first time in a long while, their emotions were not shackled by chains but born from their own will.

Lucien exhaled slowly.

'Coalheart bastards… karma is on its way.'

Meanwhile, Sebas had convinced the other assassins to stay.

First, they had realized the magic circles binding them were gone.

Next, they knew there was no return. The moment they went back, they would be shackled again or worse, executed.

And finally, they admitted it. The Assassin's Guild was no longer what it once was.

Lucien agreed... but his expression hardened.

He condensed his Divine Energy, letting the crushing aura spread like a storm.

"If any of you dare bring harm to me or my people… prepare to face our wrath. You've seen for yourselves how capable we are."

Faces blanched under the pressure and sweat rolled down their brows... yet strangely, their eyes lit up.

'The Lord we now serve is not ordinary… this is good,' they thought as one.

Lucien swept his gaze over the gathered crowd.

Six hundred and forty new souls.

A predatory smile tugged at his lips.

"I suppose it's time to expand my territory… and perhaps…" His voice dropped. "It's time to claim Coalheart lands as my own."