Chapter 148: The Man Behind the Mask
The Man Behind the Mask
A familiar voice echoed inside Julian D’Aurelius’s mind.
Ding.
"Congratulations to the host for surviving the casino scenario."
"Reward obtained: Chaotic Punch (usable five times)."
For a brief moment, Julian’s eyes flickered.
Then his expression slowly darkened.
Inside his mind, he cursed without hesitation.
Shitty system...
You’re pulling this crap again?
Lately, he had started noticing something strange.
The Tyrant System had become more and more unreliable.
The original plot of the world was collapsing piece by piece... and the rewards the system gave him were becoming more and more ridiculous.
Almost like it wanted him to die sooner.
The two one-time Old Martial Arts rewards he had obtained earlier were the only reason he survived when Evan nearly killed him.
If he had used those poorly...
He would have already been a corpse.
And now this reward?
Chaotic Punch.
According to the system’s explanation, the power of the punch depended entirely on whatever words he shouted when throwing the punch.
Julian’s lips twitched.
What kind of nonsense ability is this?
Is this system secretly mocking me?
A faint unease crept into his thoughts.
Some instinct told him something unsettling.
This damn system...
It might not actually be on my side.
While Julian was silently cursing the system...
Inside the monitoring room on the first basement level—
Lucas stood in front of the surveillance screen.
His face was darker than storm clouds.
"What the hell is going on?"
His voice was cold.
On the monitor, the footage clearly showed the scene in the restroom corridor.
More than thirty men.
Weapons in hand.
And yet—
They were being beaten like dogs by a single young man.
Lucas’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Are all your subordinates useless?"
His gaze turned sharply toward the casino owner, who stood nearby sweating nervously.
The man stammered.
"I... I don’t know either."
His mind was equally blank.
What the hell was happening?
More than thirty armed men...
And they couldn’t even deal with one rich kid?
Even an Iron Realm Old Martial Arts expert would struggle against such numbers.
Yet that young man was fighting as if he were strolling through a park.
The casino owner swallowed nervously.
Could he be a monster like Young Master Lucas...?
Lucas exhaled slowly.
His patience had run out.
"I’ll handle it myself."
With a cold expression, he walked out of the monitoring room.
---------
After stepping into the hallway, Lucas rolled his shoulders.
Crack.
Crack.
His bones emitted a series of snapping sounds like popping beans.
Then something eerie happened.
His body began to shrink.
His spine bent.
His muscles shifted.
Within seconds—
The tall, elegant young master had transformed into a slightly hunched middle-aged man.
This was one of Lucas’s specialties.
Bone-Shrinking Technique.
After adjusting his posture, he pulled out a thin human-skin mask from his pocket and slowly placed it over his face.
The mask adhered perfectly.
In an instant—
Lucas had become a completely different person.
Even his aura changed.
Perfect.
Now no one would recognize him.
His plan was simple.
Kill the brat named Julian D’Aurelius first.
Then allow the remaining thugs to capture Charlotte Bonds.
After that—
He would return with his original identity...
And play the hero who saves the beauty.
Lucas even imagined the scene already.
Charlotte looking at him with admiration.
Gratitude.
Curiosity.
And after saving her...
He wouldn’t even tell her his name.
He would simply disappear.
Leaving her wondering who that mysterious savior was.
Then, sometime later...
He would meet her again.
And by then—
Her heart would already belong to him.
Lucas smiled faintly.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
When the elevator reached the casino floor, the doors slid open quietly.
Lucas stepped out.
At that moment—
He happened to witness something interesting.
One of the surviving thugs had secretly approached Julian from behind.
The man raised his knife and slashed downward viciously.
Clang.
The blade struck Julian’s back.
But it didn’t even cut through his clothes.
Lucas’s eyes narrowed instantly.
As a Silver Realm peak expert, he immediately understood what had happened.
An invisible protective aura surrounded Julian.
Lucas murmured softly.
"Is this the Undestroyable Barrier Skill?"
After inheriting Old Martial Arts knowledge from the Black Dragon Gem, Lucas had learned many lost techniques.
One of them was this legendary defensive art.
Undestroyable Barrier Skill.
A technique famous in ancient times.
Its defense was said to be nearly absolute.
It was rumored that once mastered—
Anyone below the Silver Realm couldn’t break through it.
Lucas’s lips curved faintly.
"But unfortunately..."
"I’m at the peak of the Silver Realm."
Even with the Undestroyable Barrier Skill protecting him...
Killing him wouldn’t be difficult.
Lucas inhaled slowly.
His inner energy surged violently through his body.
Then—
Like a hunting leopard—
He lunged forward.
A shadow suddenly flashed before Julian.
Before he could even react—
Lucas’s kick had already struck his chest.
BOOM.
Julian staggered backward several steps.
A sharp pain spread across his chest.
His pupils shrank slightly.
Damn...
That kick nearly shattered his Undestroyable Barrier Skill.
He could clearly feel the protective aura weakening rapidly.
Once the aura disappeared completely—
The skill would lose its effect.
Julian raised his head and stared at the attacker.
A hunched middle-aged man.
Lucas sneered coldly.
"So what if you’ve mastered the Undestroyable Barrier Skill, you worthless piece of trash?"
His voice was deliberately lowered.
Deep.
Rough.
Completely different from his usual tone.
At that moment—
Charlotte reacted instantly.
Her eyes flashed with determination.
She swung the watermelon knife in her hand toward Lucas’s back.
A precise sneak attack.
But Lucas didn’t even turn around.
It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
His fingers moved casually.
Clack.
He caught the falling knife between two fingers.
Then—
With a slight twist—
Snap.
The knife broke instantly.
Seeing this scene—
Julian immediately understood.
His eyes narrowed.
(Damn it... it’s really Lucas.)
(This guy loves showing off like this every time he appears.)
(Bone shrinking... disguise... those are his specialties.)
(Just like I thought.)
(With Evan gone... Lucas has stepped in.)
At this moment, however—
Charlotte had no time to listen to Julian’s thoughts.
Seeing the knife shattered so easily, she reacted instantly.
Her leg shot upward.
A vicious kick aimed directly at Lucas’s crotch.
But just before the strike landed—
Lucas vanished.
Gone.
Before Charlotte could even react—
Lucas appeared behind her.
His hand moved like lightning.
Chop.
His palm struck the side of her neck.
Charlotte’s eyes widened briefly—
Then her body collapsed.
She lost consciousness instantly.
Lucas caught her lightly before she hit the ground.
Then he placed her aside casually.
After dealing with Charlotte—
Lucas slowly raised his head.
His gaze locked onto Julian.
Cold.
Murderous.
Today...
This man was destined to die.