I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: Rungir

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"Quite the talent..."

Late into the night, with the moon hiding behind the clouds, Sharen May, a high-ranking member of Ouroboros, had just exited the underground auction house. She found herself mumbling to herself as she wandered the nighttime streets of the capital city, Hubris.

The memory of the man she'd chatted with earlier lingered in her mind.

A white mask hid most of his face, but even from the small portion that was visible - his mouth and jawline - she could tell he was attractive.

"Who could he be?"

Given the glimpse of grey hair she had caught sight of, it was likely he hailed from Ilones, stronghold of the Agnes.

But, she could not deduce more.

'If he can afford to spend so much, he must be known around here...'

They, who had been covertly operating here for over ten years, and knew all the details of the capital, had no record of him.

If he hadn't shown up on their radar, it implied he either had not been active at all or held enough influence to avoid detection.

Naturally, the latter seemed improbable, so she guessed the former.

"Quite bold."

She was annoyed.

From his eyes that seemed to look down on Sharen herself to his cold, emotionless voice.

More importantly, his ignorance and the fact he had upset Ouroboros's plans, were hard for her to stomach.

Then.

"Should we investigate him?"

A sharp voice echoed from the emptiness beside her.

"No need."

Sharen replied calmly, as if she had expected the question.

"Because he won't be around after today."

Before long, a spark of murderous intent flashed in her eyes.

"Understood. Then, will you head straight to the branch?"

"Not yet. I have something to take care of first."

Responding to the subsequent voice, Sharen, who had already entered the slums on the outskirts of the capital, looked forward as she lowered her gaze.

Soon, about half a dozen rough-looking men began to emerge from the shadows, moving towards her.

---

---

"Did I make too much of a mess? Did the explosion blast away the ring?"

A man, his face marred by an array of scars, questioned, staring at the wrecked and flaming magical car.

"That's why I told you to control your power. You fool, Jeff! We hadn't even completely cleared the outskirts, what if you had fired then?"

A woman, her body strong and skin brown, scolded him as she neared.

"No, the timing was perfect. If we had waited any longer, there might've been witnesses!"

In reply, Jeff frowned and defended himself.

"Drop it, it's not like this is his first time messing up."

Around a dozen people emerged behind him.

They were part of a special unit from Ouroboros.

While they were called a special task force, their duties mostly revolved around clean-up.

But their skills were some of the best within their branch.

It was challenging to take on such special tasks without substantial power.

"Enough, let's find the ring fast and leave. I can't stand the smell of burnt flesh."

This man appeared to be the leader of the task force.

At Jeff's words, two of the team members chuckled and moved toward the ruined magical car.

"Huh?"

Confusion soon filled the eyes of those sifting through the debris.

"Captain, there's no body?"

"What?"

"There are no bone fragments either."

At the troop member's words, Jeff's eyes filled with disbelief.

Even if the car was destroyed by the impact, some remains of the passengers should have been left.

But if there was nothing...

Just then.

"There's nothing to see."

A lazy voice sounded from behind.

As the troop members turned toward the voice,

Swoosh!

The head of one member at the back simply vanished.

"He never got hit in the first place."

Behind the falling soldier, a man slowly materialized.

It was Zion.

"What, he survived? This guy had a trick, didn't he?"

Jeff looked at Zion with a surprised expression.

His tone showed no anger over the loss of a team member.

"....."

Zion didn't respond to Jeff's words and glanced at the nearby building.

Inside were Aileen and the driver, whom he had protected before the car was destroyed.

'This was to be expected.'

From the moment Zion won the auction for the 'Breath of the Frost Queen', he knew it would come to this.

'Ouroboros', having lost the auction, wouldn't give up what they desired so easily.

Fully aware of this, he had deliberately led them into this situation.

"Do you have the ring? If you hand it over now, I'll spare your life."

Jeff grinned at Zion and spoke again.

Despite already losing a team member, his voice was full of confidence.

A demeanor that signaled he could kill Zion at any moment.

"You sure talk a lot for someone who won't do as he says."

Zion chuckled in response.

For them, it would be much more straightforward and cleaner to kill Zion himself.

There was no reason for them to keep him alive and deal with potential repercussions.

"Huh? Did you read my mind? How did you know I won't?"

Jeff shrugged playfully at Zion's words.

Then he lifted a hand and flicked his finger lightly.

Bright light burst from the waists of the remaining troops, forming a barrier wide enough to envelop all of them, including Zion.

Zion regarded the barrier encasing him with interest.

"You've come prepared."

"Oh, you recognize it? It's a mana-blocking barrier. We're a little apprehensive of that ring's power too."

Jeff, more careful than he appeared, had set up a barrier to impede Zion from using the Breath of the Frost Queen. He grinned and signaled to his troops.

Zion, who had been silently observing the barrier and Jeff, finally responded.

"Don't hold a grudge. It's just the natural order of things. Consider yourself unfortunate."

As if those words were a command.

Whoosh!

Jeff's troops lunged at Zion.

An astonishing speed, derived not from mana usage but raw physical prowess.

"Hahaha! You won't feel a thing."

The first troop member, reaching Zion in a flash, swung down a massive greatsword as tall as himself.

Just as the greatsword was about to cleave Zion's head,

Thud-

Zion's finger, having risen slowly, lightly tapped the side of the greatsword.

In that instant,

The greatsword shattered as if it were made of glass.

"......!"

The eyes of the troop member who had wielded the greatsword widened in shock.

Zion's other fist, wreathed in darkness, obliterated his head.

"What!"

A horrified cry burst from a burly man with a thick beard who was charging from behind, stunned by the unbelievable sight.

With a single step, Zion, now standing directly in front of the man, launched his already cocked fist without hesitation.

The burly man swiftly pulled his double-edged axe to the front in defense.

A deafening sound echoed as Zion's fist collided with the man's axe.

Zion's fist momentarily stopped.

'He blocked......!'

Relief momentarily filled the burly man's eyes.

With a surge of dark energy, Zion's fist shattered the man's axe, shooting straight through and then,

Instantly obliterated his head.

Before the man's body hit the ground, Zion, cloaked in darkness, advanced toward his next opponent.

A barrier that inhibits the use of mana?

So what?

From the outset, Zion himself couldn't use mana, and the dark energy wasn't composed of mana either.

Hence, he wasn't affected in the slightest.

Slash!

A woman with brown skin surged from behind Zion, swinging her two daggers.

However, Zion, who seemed to have anticipated her movements, stepped forward and lightly dipped his head to evade the daggers.

Simultaneously, Zion's elbow, naturally thrusting backward, targeted the woman.

His movement was so swift that the woman's head vanished without a trace, accompanied by the sound of the air shattering.

"Damn it! Attack him simultaneously!"

One of the troops, a flicker of fear dawning as he watched Zion relentlessly eliminating his companions, cursed loudly as if to cast aside his trepidation and charged at Zion.

Heeding his call, four troop members converged on Zion from all directions.

"Well, that makes things easier and more entertaining."

Zion, observing them with a smirk, gently tightened his fist.

He launched a wide-range skill that had previously eradicated a swarm of carnivorous insects during a succession ceremony.

In an instant, a wave of darkness erupted from Zion, engulfing the oncoming enemies.

"Arrghh!"

The troops, bereft of mana, were swept away by the dark surge, torn to shreds.

With that, Zion, having swiftly ended the writhing troop members by crushing their heads, immediately embarked on hunting his next quarry.

"This, this is...."

Jeff muttered, watching the spectacle with a countenance of disbelief.

His previously confident gaze now held no room for leisure.

Crash! Crash! Crunch!

One hit per person.

Each movement marked the extinction of one life.

A staggering chasm.

The troops, veterans of countless perilous missions, were falling far too easily.

From where had this fiendish creature emerged?

And something even more perplexing baffled him.

"How... how can he wield mana?"

The darkness, blazing vividly even within a mana-blocking barrier.

It was undoubtedly a manifestation that could not be conceived without the mastery of mana.

"Consider yourself unfortunate."

Zion, having exterminated all the troops and now advancing towards Jeff, echoed the same words that Jeff had earlier spoken.

But the sentiment embedded in those words was starkly different.

Then,

Bang!

A gunshot resonated.

A sniper, who had been concealed at a distance since before the battle initiated, had squeezed the trigger targeting Zion.

Firearms, despite being a recent invention and non-mainstream weaponry, were regarded as the most potent in mana-less combat.

However,

The bullet discharged from the sniper's firearm came to a standstill in front of Zion's throat.

The peculiar darkness enveloping the bullet.

"Ah...."

The moment a desperate sound escaped from Jeff's mouth,

With a subtle gesture from Zion, a shadow-like darkness surged forth from the sniper, entirely consuming him.

Having efficiently disposed of the sniper as well, Zion resumed his approach towards Jeff.

Jeff's gaze, fixed on Zion, began to fill with a blend of despair and terror.

'How on earth can I kill that....'

Victory is impossible.

'So then....'

Having made up his mind, Jeff dissolved the nearly shattered mana-blocking barrier entirely and unleashed a premeditated sword attack at Zion.

The most formidable strike he could muster at the moment.

Jeff's sword clashed with Zion's hand, generating a shockwave of unparalleled magnitude.

A cloud of dust billowed in the aftermath.

But that was all it achieved.

Zion, emerging from the dust cloud, was entirely unscathed.

However, one detail had changed.

Jeff, who had previously been within striking distance, was now a mere speck in the vast expanse.

From the outset, he had intended that blow as a means to escape.

"Remarkable, you didn't forget about your plan."

Zion chuckled as he watched Jeff's retreating silhouette diminish into the distance.

Everything was transpiring as per his grand design.

Zion hadn't planned on concluding his hunt that evening at this rudimentary level.

'Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered initiating it.'

That's why he deliberately lured them here, and that's why he purposefully allowed one to escape.

He displayed their brutal demise to instill fear, effectively impairing their ability to make rational judgments.

The one who escaped would undoubtedly lead him to their covert base.

"It'll be satisfying to decimate at least one base."

With that, Zion's languid eyes started to trail the dark path connected to Jeff.

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