Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

The patrol leader's face turned pale the moment his eyes locked onto the signet. His words caught in his throat, and he immediately lowered his sword.

"I—I'm sorry, sir," he stammered. "We had orders… strict ones. Protector Vareth said if you're seen, we are to bring you straight to the Council Hall."

The rest of the soldiers quickly bowed, their earlier aggression replaced by nervous respect.

Ethan gave them a cold, hard glare, the kind that Duran might've used on subordinates who wasted his time.

"Then what are you waiting for?" he said sharply.

The leader flinched again. "Y-yes, sir. Right away."

They stepped back, giving him space. Two of them turned and began walking toward the eastern road that led to the Council Hall, casting occasional glances over their shoulders. Ethan followed, keeping his steps firm and measured, hiding the tension tightening in his chest.

Every movement had to be in character now.

He was Duran.

He had to be Duran.

And as they walked through the heart of Cahaya Village, the gazes of merchants, guards, and passing villagers followed him.

Each one believing they had just seen Duran.

As Ethan stepped into the Council Hall, his gaze moved slowly but deliberately across the space. The polished stone floor, the wide corridors, and the archways—all of them looked exactly like the layout he had memorized from the blueprint Alden had redrawn.

'Left corridor leads to the Records Hall. Past that, the chamber with the vaulted ceiling should be the main council archive. North wing… that's where the Elder's Library is hidden.'

He could almost see the map in his head now. The rooms lined up with the sketches. The routes, the placement of doors, the security gaps. The difficult part, however, was that one room he hadn't yet laid eyes on—the sealed section. That hidden space Hera believed to contain everything tied to Elder Harran's betrayal.

But now that he was here, he could feel something else too. A weight in the air. Like the walls were watching.

'It's not going to be as easy as walking through a door,' he thought.

Just then, the patrol squad leader turned to him and bowed respectfully.

"Sir Duran, we've been told to ask you to wait here, inside this room. The Elder and the Protector are attending to other matters for the moment."

Ethan, still in Duran's form, narrowed his eyes. "How long?"

The soldier's throat bobbed as he swallowed. "A-at least thirty minutes, sir."

Ethan nearly smiled. Thirty minutes? That was more than enough time for someone with his Stealth to explore half the entire hall.

Still, he had to keep the act.

"Thirty minutes?" Ethan growled, feigning irritation while walked to take a seat. "What could possibly take them that long? What are they doing that's more important than this?"

The patrol leader hesitated, then slipped.

"The Elder is meeting with a delegation from the Eastern Sea, sir. They arrived without notice."

Ethan's thoughts froze for a moment.

'A delegation? From the Eastern Sea? Why here? Why now? Why in a village council hall and not in the Royal Capital?'

He didn't show the surprise on his face, but inside, alarm bells were ringing.

Something wasn't right.

And now, he had thirty minutes to find out what it was.

Ethan turned slowly to face the patrol squad. They looked tense—waiting, perhaps, for further instructions. Maybe even expecting him to question them more.

But he had no time to waste.

With a sudden snarl and a voice full of fury, he barked, "Scram. All of you. Get out of my sight."

The soldiers flinched at once. They bowed hurriedly and scattered down the corridor, boots thudding against the stone. As they hurried away, Ethan heard them muttering amongst themselves.

"What's with him now? Acting like he still matters…"

"Didn't he was kicked out of the Imperial Circle of Architects years ago?"

"He's not what he used to be."

But before the whispers could spread further, the squad leader turned sharply and glared at them. "Enough. You want to talk about him like that? You want to test someone like Duran?"

The others fell silent, stiffening in fear.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The leader lowered his voice, but Ethan's enhanced hearing caught every word.

"He might've been removed from the Circle, but he's still a Lower Three-Star Vessel. That alone means he can crush any of us without lifting a finger."

The others nodded quickly, eyes darting around as if afraid Duran might be listening.

Ethan took his step out of the room and stood alone in the corridor, his arms folded behind him, eyes scanning every inch of the walls and ceiling.

The architecture here was different from the rest of Cahaya Village—marble tiles, rune-etched pillars, and golden sconces that flickered without any flame. This was no simple hall. It was a sanctum of power.

He narrowed his eyes.

'If I were Elder Harran, I'd have set up some kind of surveillance here…'

He was thinking of something like CCTVs back on Earth but here maybe a magical device that acted the same way.

ust to be sure, he activated his Divine Eyes.

The world around him shifted.

Faint lines of energy appeared along the walls, old traces of magic used for reinforcement and security. Some were likely detection spells, but none of them were active.

'Strange... Does it need to be triggered first?' Ethan wondered.

If he had jus a day or two more to complete this mission, he believed that he could ask Hera to teach him or give him books, scrolls or anything for him to learn about magic.

He closed his eyes and recalled the blueprint again. The Elder's Library was behind the inner sanctum's north wing, third level, hidden behind a locked spiral hall with no external entrance. The only way in was through a sealed gate.

And beyond that… the secret vault he suspected.

Ethan inhaled sharply and let the breath go slowly.

He couldn't delay anymore.

'Alright. No more waiting.'

Without another thought, he activated Stealth.

His body shimmered slightly, then faded. Light bent around him. Even his shadow vanished.

There was no sound. No trace of his steps.

Only the faintest stir in the air as he moved.

He slipped into the hallway, leaving behind the echo of Duran—and stepping fully into the role of a ghost hunting truth.

***

In the grand chamber at the center of the Council Hall, where even the torches burned with a bluish-white flame to signify magical protection, Elder Harran sat atop a seat carved from blackstone and ashwood. The banners of the Kannan Empire hung overhead, but the air in the room no longer felt like it belonged to Kannan.

Across from him stood a tall, slender man draped in a deep crimson robe lined with silver trim. His eyes were narrow and sharp, and his hair was tied in a traditional braid that marked him as someone from the Eastern Sea.

He was Lord Qiren of the Velharis Empire—a rising force across the ocean, known for its sea-bound armies and unmatched naval dominion. While not the emperor himself, Qiren was the Voice of Velharis, the empire's highest envoy, and trusted to speak on behalf of the imperial court.

Without a word, Qiren raised his hand. A dull flash of light followed as he summoned something from his finger.

A spatial storage ring.

He flicked it forward with a subtle push of his power, sending it gently toward Elder Harran's seat.

But before it reached the elder's hand, a crack of power split the air.

Vareth's arm moved like a whip, his palm slicing through the invisible current between them. The ring stopped midair and hovered before shifting direction—landing in Vareth's waiting grasp.

"I'm sorry," Vareth said calmly. "Protocol."

He closed his eyes and let his senses flow into the ring.

His expression didn't change, but his breath hitched for a second.

Inside the ring… were mountains of gold. Piles of enchanted weapons and master crafted armor. And most notably, cores. Hundreds, if not thousands, of monster cores gleaming with compressed energy.

Cores strong enough to push a Two-Star Vessel into Three-Star. Maybe a Lower Three-Star to the Higher Three-Star, if used correctly.

It wasn't just wealth.

It was fuel for ascension. A gift meant to buy loyalty—and speed up power.

Vareth's fingers curled slightly as he looked up at the man from Velharis. He didn't speak.

He just turned, and slowly handed the ring to Elder Harran.

Elder Harran nodded slowly as he accepted the ring, his fingers brushing the edge with a hint of reverence—though he masked it well. The room quieted again, the air dense with unspoken expectations.

"They won't suspect anything," Harran said, slipping the ring into his robe. "The capital is too bloated with internal matters. The nobles bicker. The High Council stalls. And the Emperor no longer listens to whispers from villages."

Lord Qiren offered a thin smile. "We don't need their ears. Only their doors to stay unlocked."

Harran leaned forward. "Our craftsmen will forge the identity seals. The names will be real, taken from the list of those who died during the civil unrest five years ago. Their records still linger in the archives, untouched. The perfect cover for your agents."

"And the placement?" Qiren asked, raising a brow.

"Low ranks first," Harran replied. "Merchants, scholars, healers. The usual. Then the guards. Eventually… someone close to the inner court."

Qiren gave a small nod of approval. "Efficient."

Harran's fingers tapped the armrest once. "It's not just efficiency. It's inevitability. Velharis is rising. The only question is whether Kannan joins your ascent… or falls beneath it."

There was silence between them for a moment.

Then Lord Qiren's tone shifted slightly, quieter, but heavier.

"And the summoning?"

Harran's eyes narrowed.

"You told us the ritual would be ready by this moon."

A flicker of tension crossed Vareth's brow, but he said nothing. His hands remained behind his back.

"The conditions are… not so simple," Lord Qiren said as he crossed one leg over the other, his voice low and composed. "The sacrifice must be a Vessel with a strong core. Someone young."

Elder Harran raised an eyebrow. "You believe such a person exists?"

Qiren nodded slowly. "They always do. One or two, scattered in the corners of the world. You just need to find them before someone else does."

Harran leaned back, thoughtful. "We've narrowed it down. There are a few… promising candidates. I'll have my men bring them in quietly. No one will suspect a thing."

Qiren's lips curled faintly, but his eyes were cold.

"I suggest you act quickly, Elder. The tides are shifting. And the demons we're summoning… they are not known for patience."

While Elder Harran and Lord Qiren continued their quiet exchange in the grand hall, far above their heads, just behind the intricate latticework of the Council Hall's upper walls, a shadow stood still.

Ethan.

He had moved swiftly and silently through the sealed corridors, slipping past guards and barriers using every skill at his disposal. The Elder's Library had been his first target, and though he'd managed to get in, he found nothing that could be used as direct proof. The records were either removed, hidden, or never kept in that section at all.

He gritted his teeth.

'Why didn't I think of using the Inventory earlier?'

If he had, he could've brought his phone, maybe even a power bank or two. With enough juice, he could've just recorded all of this—every word, every face, every deal made in secret.

'It would've been over by now…'

But then, just as he was about to retreat, he paused.

The word "demons" reached his ears.

And suddenly, nothing felt small anymore.

Ethan stayed completely still, not even daring to blink as he listened more carefully. The air seemed colder. The sound of that single word stirred something deeper in him. It wasn't just a secret deal with a foreign Empire.

It was something darker.

'What kind of deal are they making? And what kind of madness are they planning to bring to this Empire…?'

More importantly, 'what role do they expect me to play in all of this?'

He didn't know the answer yet.

But something told him that he didn't have much time left to find out.