Shadows in the Dark

Adam walked home with Lily, who chattered nonstop, seemingly enjoying herself.

Adam only responded with the occasional "hmm," offering her a hand in preparing dinner.

They worked quietly but harmoniously, the subtle routine between them growing familiar.

After eating, Adam joined Lily in the garden, helping her with basic mana training.

She tried her best, following Adam's instructions with focus. After a while, Lily paused, looking up at him.

"I always wanted an older sister," she said, smiling softly. "Someone calm, who understands me and can answer any question I ask."

Adam simply nodded, listening without a word. He didn't know what to say to her genuine openness.

As night fell, Anastasia and Robert returned. They ate, shared stories, and laughed together, filling the house with warmth.

Then, one by one, everyone retired to their rooms, leaving Adam to the solitude of his own thoughts.

Sitting on his bed, he reflected on the day, tension clouding his mind. "I have to act quickly before the Kol family triggers that riot in District 4," he muttered.

With that, he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him.

A knock echoed in Adam's room early the next morning.

Jolting awake, he instinctively checked that he was still disguised as "Eli" before opening the door to find Lily on the other side.

"You're late!" she said, barely able to contain her energy. "We have to practice magic! Come on, get ready!"

"Give me five minutes," Adam replied, closing the door before she could protest.

After preparing, Adam joined her in the garden. Together, they exercised, Adam guiding her through more mana control exercises.

Once training was over, they headed inside to find Anastasia cooking breakfast.

"Is there any bitterness left between you two now?" she asked, giving them a sly smile.

Lily blushed slightly. "No."

They all enjoyed breakfast together before Anastasia and Robert went off to work, leaving Adam and Lily alone.

"Will you come to the market with me today?" Lily asked hopefully.

Adam shook his head. "No."

Lily's expression faltered but quickly recovered with a soft smile. "I know you don't like meeting new people, so I won't push. I'll go alone."

Adam had other plans; he needed to gather intel on a criminal organization today.

After bidding Lily farewell, Adam went back inside and gathered his equipment.

He took out the documents Bran had given him the previous day. Then, shedding his disguise, he returned to his true form, donning a black outfit that melted into the shadows.

He activated one of his skills.

[Host Skill Active: Jump]

In an instant, Adam teleported 100 meters away from the restaurant, using his "Jump" skill to traverse the city rooftops swiftly. Within moments, he reached District 4.

To assess the situation, Adam activated God's Eye to scan the area.

Though the district was bustling with people, certain individuals stood out to him, their elevated mana marking them as likely members of the Kol family's criminal organization.

His suspicion was confirmed: they were quickly infiltrating the district.

"They're consolidating their forces here," Adam murmured. "With so many members, they could cause serious damage to the City Guard."

He pondered his next move. "Should I take them out one by one, or target their leader first?"

A grin spread across his face. "Why not create a diversion?"

Rummaging through his inventory, Adam pulled out a document he'd stolen from the Merry Syndicate. It contained a photo of a family that lived in District 4 and their address.

Scene change -

In a market within District 4, a group of seven thugs walked with confidence, their weapons hidden but ready.

One of them, Thug No. 1, pulled out a photo with an address scribbled on the back and handed it to his companion.

"This is our target for today," he sneered.

His companion eyed the photo with a wicked grin. "I want to play with them first. When I get bored, I'll finish them off."

"Touch my target, and I'll cut your jaw," growled Thug No. 3.

Thug No. 4 laughed. "Let's settle this with Rock-Paper-Scissors. Winner gets the kill."

Passersby who overheard the conversation cowered, saying nothing.

A nearby man muttered to himself, 'I wonder who's unlucky enough to be their target today…'

"Keep your head down," someone replied. "As long as we've paid our protection fees, they won't bother us."

"But if we keep paying like this, we'll be left with nothing," a third person whispered.

"What else can we do?" the man sighed. "Only God can save us now."

The seven thugs finally reached a small craftsman's shop. Inside, a middle-aged craftsman worked diligently alongside his wife, while their son handled a customer. Suddenly, the thugs barged in, chasing the customer out.

Startled, the craftsman approached them cautiously. "Sir, why are you chasing my customers away?" he asked.

One of the thugs stepped forward, smirking as he drew a knife from his pocket.

Without a word, he stabbed the craftsman in the shoulder, drawing a cry of pain.

His wife screamed, clutching her husband as he fell to the floor, blood seeping through his shirt.

"Hehehe...How Good Blood Smells" The thug who attacked Craftsman brings the knife to his mouth, and licks Craftsman's blood off the weapon with his tongue

The second thug grabs the craftsman's wife and takes her away from the craftsman and goes near his wife's face and says "Don't be afraid, this is just the beginning"

Seeing this, the craftsman's son comes to attack them, but two thugs attack him from behind and throw him on the ground and one thug sits on top of him.

The thug who had stabbed the craftsman shouts loudly to the people present there, "Listen everybody, this will be the fate of all those who will not pay the protection fee from today onwards, they will be responsible for their own lives"

Hearing this, everyone gets scared and starts worrying about each other.

Then two thugs grab the craftsman's legs and start dragging him into his shop,The craftsman is screaming in pain but both of them do not stop.

To be connected ...