The Anomaly Beyond The System

’How dare he... how dare he even lay a finger on my mother... how dare...!!!’

Lucian’s mind was a mess.

The anger that had been bubbling inside him after seeing this fucking stranger grabbing his mother’s hand had completely spiralled out of control, and he was only one snap away from ending the man’s life.

And the man was only a few seconds away from dying.

His struggling had already grown weaker, his face already red from having his breathing cut off as he desperately tried to pry Lucian’s hand away.

But then—

"P-Please... I beg you... stop."

Selene’s quiet, trembling voice echoed beside him, sounding almost familiarly fragile.

She was begging him to stop.

She didn’t want to lose her son once again... not to the authorities, because if he killed this man right now, right before everyone’s eyes... they would surely take action against him.

Lucian’s eyes widened before his gaze faintly shifted towards Selene.

Even though her face remained hidden beneath that mask, he could still feel the pain within her.

His chest tightened at that.

Slowly, he shifted his attention back towards the man, who twitched in his hand, barely conscious by now.

"You Bitch, it’s because of you!!!"

A furious shout suddenly erupted from the side as the man’s companion’s eyes filled with anger while he rushed towards Selene.

The group who had been running towards the confrontation, trying to stop the fight, immediately noticed it.

All of their eyes widened as they saw the dagger in the man’s hand, aimed directly towards Selene, only a few seconds away from reaching her.

Even if someone wanted to intervene, they might not reach her in time.

But then—

To everyone’s shock... Selene briefly shifted her gaze towards the approaching man, her expression turning cold, and the moment his hand came within reach, she stepped back before instantly grabbing the man’s wrist.

Before he could even understand what was happening, she sharply twisted his wrist before seizing the dagger with her other hand and...

She turned it, pointing the sharp tip directly at the man’s eye, barely a millimetre away from going inside.

His entire body went rigid.

His pupils contracted as he stared at the blade hovering dangerously close to his eye.

"My son is hurt..."

Selene’s voice turned cold—much colder than before.

"...all because of you."

The man’s expression morphed into dread as he instinctively tried to pull himself backwards.

Frost began creeping over his wrist, sending a sharp pain through him as he staggered backwards the moment she released him, almost stumbling.

"See? She doesn’t need help, nor does he."

Ava said while putting her hands on her hips, amused by the familiar shock in her teammate’s eyes.

"The ones needing help are these stupid ones trying to attack them."

Her companions didn’t immediately answer her.

THUD

"Akh...! Ghhkk—!"

The rough-looking man roughly fell onto the floor with a heavy thud as Lucian practically threw him down.

The man’s body rolled in pain as he let out desperate, fistfuls of coughs, grabbing his throat while his gaze remained fixed on Lucian, dread filling his eyes.

That handsome man... he was supposed to be weak, an unawakened individual, or perhaps an F Ranker at best.

After talking to Lily that day, and after hearing that the pair had come to the Association to register for awakening, the man had already become aware that they weren’t that strong, especially with the fancy attire they wore and their fair, foreign, northern skin.

No person would look like that after entering a dungeon, and especially... they wouldn’t be wearing a suit!

But judging by their clothes, he was sure they came from a very rich family, so if he could get his hands on them... then he wouldn’t have to live in poverty anymore.

But now... it seemed that his lack of knowledge had led him to make a big mistake... underestimating his enemy.

Worse... he hadn’t even known what kind of person was standing before him, or how he acted when it came to... certain people around him.

Lucian’s gaze briefly shifted towards the remaining person, who seemed completely frozen in his spot, either out of shock or fear.

Slowly, he turned back towards the writhing man before gradually lowering himself, his actions calm... way too calm... as he reached out his hand.

And violently grabbed the man by his hair.

"Ah—!"

Pulling his dreadful face up and turning it towards him, Lucian looked at him for a few seconds.

"Lucian Foster! Stop right there!"

A loud voice suddenly came from behind.

"Don’t do anything rash—!"

Lucian’s head unnaturally snapped towards the group running towards him.

His eyes glowed menacingly behind his glasses, and in an instant... everyone stilled in their spots, almost recoiling as their expressions stiffened, feeling something inside them warning them... not to take another step forward.

The man being held by Lucian trembled even harder.

"Agkk—I-I’m— I—"

Ignoring the people behind him, Lucian once again returned his attention to the man, whose expression turned even more desperate and pleading as he tried to open his mouth, perhaps to explain himself.

"Don’t speak a word, or I might not be able to hold myself back from killing you."

Lucian’s cold, chilling voice echoed in his ears, sending a chill down his spine.

His parted lips froze, and for a moment, the only thing that escaped him was a guttural cry of pain as Lucian’s fingers tightened around his hair, pulling his head backwards.

"Lucian..."

Selene’s quiet, pleading voice came from beside him.

The others could only look at the scene before them with countless emotions written across their faces, the strongest undoubtedly being... shock.

No one inside the entire hall seemed to be stopping the man, and even though it was obvious that Lucian was trying to kill someone inside the Association Building, something that was strictly prohibited, none of the people who had initially rushed towards them were taking another step.

It was almost as if... something invisible was stopping them from moving forward, an instinctive reaction perhaps.

Lucian remained still, and briefly, he closed his eyes... then gave a slow nod.

His fingers loosened as the man’s face slammed onto the floor once again, his hand still clutching onto his neck, his face contorting in pain.

Lucian straightened slightly.

"Take him out of here."

His voice was cold, and almost immediately... the terrifying intent pressing against everyone vanished.

The guards, who had been frozen for those few moments, finally snapped back to their senses.

Their eyes immediately flared with anger, not only towards the man clutching his throat on the ground... but also towards Lucian—the man who had attacked someone inside the Association Building, breaking the rules.

They immediately rushed forward.

However, before they could even reach Lucian—

The man’s remaining friend finally snapped out of his own daze. His face twisted violently as he saw his brother lying on the floor.

"Y-You... Fucker!!!"

His voice was filled with rage as he attempted to rush towards Lucian.

But the moment he tried to move—

Bam!

A fist came crashing into his face, causing him to stagger backwards before falling onto the floor.

"I think this is enough of a ruckus."

Isaac—the man who had come along with Ava—spoke, his gaze calmly sweeping across the fallen men.

Seeing their states, he sighed quietly.

"Throw them out of here."

Ava immediately spoke to the guards while showing them her Association card.

"Y-Yes, ma’am!"

The guards immediately straightened upon seeing the official Association ID, and after giving a faint bow, they quickly left Lucian and Selene alone under her orders.

The three men were grabbed and pulled away, and those three didn’t—or rather, couldn’t—even retort before eventually being thrown out of the building, as if they were nothing but trash.

Absolute silence fell inside the Association Building, as everyone’s gaze remained fixed on Lucian, who stood completely still in the centre of the hall.

His blank eyes remained completely fixed on Selene’s wrist—the same wrist that bastard had touched only moments ago.

"W...what just happened...?"

A voice broke the silence as someone hesitantly spoke.

"I don’t... know...?"

"But that man... was he really going to kill him?"

"I don’t—"

"And why did the guards leave him? Wasn’t fighting prohibited inside the building?"

"I don’t know...!!!" the guy suddenly shouted, clearly irritated by the multiple questions.

The surrounding people immediately looked towards the man, who instantly felt embarrassment creeping onto his face as he lowered his head, coughing lightly.

But neither of them reacted or said anything to the man, still somewhat unable to comprehend what had just happened... right before their eyes.

"Lucian..."

Selene repeated softly, watching the lack of reaction or any movement from her son.

Hearing her words, Lucian slowly shifted his gaze towards her face—or rather, the mask covering her face.

His jaw flexed hard, and he bit onto his tongue so hard that he could feel the iron taste in his mouth, trying to suppress the bubbling rage within him before shifting his attention towards the opening of the building, the same entrance where those people had just been dragged.

That man... that bastard who had dared to touch her... dared to look at her with those disgusting eyes.

Selene sighed quietly before walking towards him, gently holding his hand.

"Calm down..." she spoke gently, softly, knowing the anger he was feeling despite the eerie blankness in his face.

The gentle coldness of her touch calmed him... if only barely, and a trace of clarity returned to his eyes.

His lips slowly parted.

"I’m fine..." he muttered, his voice low and trembling slightly with suppressed anger.

Selene’s gaze swept slightly around, seeing all the people staring at them with various looks on their faces.

But then...

A group of people began walking towards them, people who clearly looked different from the common others around the hall.

"Lucian Foster..."

Isaac spoke again, his gaze calm, yet a trace of surprise lingered within it, as if even he was surprised—perhaps intrigued—by the kind of person he was looking at.