NOVEL NEXT Chapter 136
136. The Cast Assembles
A company in the royal capital’s transport sector──Heimat Logistics.
Its performance has been climbing steadily since Jack joined.
“Boss, I’ve delivered the goods you asked for.”
Jack returned to headquarters after completing a round trip to Orkis City.
Tasks that would take several people more than a day could be done by him with the ease of a neighborhood stroll.
“You’re… already back? Haven’t you been getting even faster lately?”
The boss looked astonished.
“Yeah, I guess I’m just in great form lately.”
Jack laughed.
Hannah, who had been doing paperwork, looked up and gave a playful wink.
Jack responded with a warm smile.
Though they couldn’t flirt openly at work, such small exchanges brought them immense happiness.
“You can call it a day now.”
The boss said with a wry smile, seemingly noticing their interaction.
“I can keep going, boss.”
“Rest is important, and you’re already handling far more than anyone else here.”
The boss smiled kindly.
“Take it easy. We’ll count on you again tomorrow.”
“In that case, I’ll take your advice. Thank you! See you tomorrow!”
With a spirited reply, Jack headed to the locker room.
His steps felt light.
Work──and his Enhancement skill──had been going exceptionally well lately.
Jack could feel his power and speed growing more pronounced than ever before.
This allowed him to carry far heavier loads and deliver them at an unmatched pace.
How many people’s worth of work was Jack accomplishing on his own?
Dozens? No, perhaps even hundreds.
His abilities were well-known throughout the capital’s logistics industry.
He’d received countless offers to join other transport companies.
But Jack turned them all down.
He felt indebted to the company that had taken him in, and the boss and his colleagues were all genuinely good people.
And, of course, there was Hannah.
They’d long been in a relationship, officially recognized as a couple by the company.
Every day, they’d get teased: “So, when’s the wedding?”
Lately, even Hannah had started to give off the vibe that she was waiting for Jack to propose.
(Maybe it’s time I finally settle down.)
Jack smirked at the thought.
──Thump!
Suddenly, his heart raced.
Blood coursed through him, his entire body ablaze.
There was no pain.
No suffering.
Only an intense surge of exhilaration sweeping through him.
[Perish… destroy… leave nothing behind, Jack Jarce… everything… everything… every…thing…]
The voice of the boy with the Domination skill, Levin, whom Jack had once fought──
Those words echoed endlessly in his mind.
Recently, they’d begun resurfacing occasionally.
A cursed refrain of a death knell.
(Damn it, I won’t… I won’t lose to this!)
He berated himself, shaking off the ominous premonition rising within.
Conflict wasn’t something Jack sought.
Not his battles with Dialva, Levin, or Victim──none of them were his choice.
Jack wanted only one thing:
Peaceful, warm, gentle days.
He wished for them and believed they would come.
As long as Hannah stood by his side as his partner, he wanted for nothing else.
Jack envisioned such a future.
[Perish… destroy…]
But contrary to his wishes, Levin’s words continued to echo in his mind.
A primal, savage urge lingered in a corner of his heart, refusing to be erased.
A wild, beast-like ferocity──
“Ah, I see it’s had quite an effect on you.”
Suddenly, a voice called out.
“Who’s there!?”
A woman stood in the corridor, as if she’d appeared out of thin air.
Her long golden hair cascaded in soft waves, and she wore a rose-colored dress.
She possessed the elegance of nobility and the allure of a courtesan.
“Who… are you?”
“Just as Electra foresaw. The remnants of Levin Hector’s Domination have deeply taken root in you.”
“What… are you talking about?”
Jack grew more alert toward the smiling woman.
How did she know Levin’s name?
And why did her presence feel eerily familiar, like Levin’s and his own?
(Could she be…)
He swallowed hard.
(No, she’s most likely like me──)
“I’ve come to guide you, Jack Jarce.”
The woman’s smile deepened.
“My kin.”
“What…!?”
Before Jack could process her words, a black mist spread before his eyes.
Instinctively, he enhanced his limbs, leaping back at superhuman speed.
The sheer force of his movement whipped up a powerful gust.
“Pointless. My Transfer is faster than your Enhancement.”
The woman said with a smile.
As her voice faded, the scenery around Jack transformed.
“Where… is this?”
Jack looked around in confusion.
The office building was gone──
Replaced by an orderly cityscape. In the distance stood a temple with a foreign design.
“Now the cast is complete.”
The woman murmured as her voice was carried away by the wind.
“What the hell is going on!?”
Jack shouted to himself in frustration.
Suddenly, a chilling sensation ran down his spine.
A malevolent aura pricked his skin like needles.
Jack’s heightened senses, far beyond those of an ordinary man, caught it.
It came from above.
“Something’s… coming!?”
He looked up.
A clear, cloudless blue sky.
And in it, small black dots began to appear, one after another.
In the next moment, countless sinister presences descended.
The aura of beings of darkness.