People are scared in America, my uncle is Dante

A few minutes later, the nun pulled up the video recording.

The surveillance cameras recorded everything that just happened without any omissions.

How Esther managed to grab the paper cutter amidst the chaos, how she retreated to Suren's side, how she cut her own arm, and how she finally threw the knife at Suren's feet to perfectly frame her.

The entire process was so smooth and skillful that it was almost unbelievable.

The office was deathly silent.

John clutched his stomach, staring in shock at the little girl on the screen with a venomous expression.

The nun covered her mouth, her expression one of terror.

They couldn't believe that a child could be so ruthless to herself, and they never imagined that her scheming could be so vicious.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Esther knew that she had been completely exposed.

She gritted her teeth, quietly retreated to the doorway, and slipped out through the crack when no one was looking.

Suren watched this scene and a smile curved her lips.

Esther ran wildly down the corridor after escaping the office, her eyes filled with a mixture of elation and resentment at her successful escape.

Once she escapes, she must find a way to get revenge on that man.

As she ran, Esther suddenly felt the air around her grow cold.

Is the corridor really that long?

She stopped and looked around.

The once familiar corridor has disappeared without a trace.

Instead, there was a small town shrouded in mist and covered with tall trees.

Ashes continued to fall from the sky.

What kind of place is this?!

Just as Esther was feeling scared, she saw a little girl in a dress standing quietly not far ahead.

The little girl had her back to her and looked very frail.

Esther was secretly pleased. If she could control this seemingly easier-to-bully little girl, she might be able to find a way out of this place.

She tiptoed up to him.

Just as Esther was about to walk behind the little girl, the girl in the dress vanished.

Esther stood frozen in place, enveloped by an unprecedented fear.

"Ho-ho-ho-ho-"

A chilling gasp echoed from within the thick fog.

Several deformed monsters, their upper bodies bound by waxy yellow skin, emerged from the mist and surrounded her.

She desperately backed away and bumped into something slippery.

Esther turned around and her eyes widened suddenly.

Desperate screams echoed through the town.

……

in reality.

Police arrived at the orphanage after receiving a report.

When they asked the nun where Esther was, they discovered that the little girl had long since vanished without a trace.

"This...she was just in the room."

The nun looked somewhat bewildered, and as she spoke, she glanced at Suren.

The other person remained calm, whispering to Patty as if Esther's disappearance had nothing to do with him.

She had doubts.

But the footage from the monitoring room just now has already explained everything; that little girl is definitely a dangerous hidden danger.

To offend a wealthy patron who has been funding an orphanage for years for the sake of a girl of unknown origin who has already disappeared—how could that be a losing proposition?

The nun wisely chose to remain silent and cooperated with the police investigation.

The farce was thus brought to an end.

……

The next day, Patty left the firm.

Suren held her phone, planning how to get to Hardenfield.

He was browsing through a young people's adventure forum, looking for carpooling posts to the town of Haddonfield.

Although many murders occurred in that small town, it didn't stop many bored young people from seeking thrills.

Soon, he found a post titled "Hardenfield Real Crime Blog Recording, Looking for Teammates, Gas and Car Rental Costs to be AA", and contacted the person.

"That way, if something unexpected happens on the road, at least someone can share the cost of renting the car."

Suren muttered to himself.

After confirming his travel information, he was about to put his phone down when a bank notification popped up on his screen.

[Your account number ending in xxxx, received transfer: $10,000,000.00]

Suren opened the message and glanced at the sender.

It seems that Alex has recovered and has successfully taken over the Ledomas family's inheritance.

Fortunately, the other party was reasonable enough not to do anything as foolish as renege on their debt.

A thought struck him, and he summoned the system panel in his mind.

Side Quest: Sparta's Deep-Seated Debts

Current progress: $12,500,000 / $100,000,000

"Hmm? No debt incurred?"

Suren was puzzled.

The meteorite that was dropped a few days ago using the [Faust's Hat] destroyed several houses and streetscapes.

He had initially thought that the situation would cause the system's debt to skyrocket, which led him to avoid checking the status of that side quest.

However, the system billing progress does not show any deduction.

Why is that?

Suren stroked his chin, recalling the news reports from that time.

Is this the reason why the authorities classify such events as both natural disasters and man-made calamities?

Strangely enough, he hasn't received any official fines in the past few days.

With official methods, it's impossible for them not to find out about you.

Did someone pay it for me?

Or are they simply too afraid to come and claim compensation?

Suren had a feeling it was the latter.

The authorities do not know his specific situation, and they have no way of judging whether that method was conventional combat power or a desperate last resort.

They dare not gamble.

If you really push yourself to the limit, a meteorite might strike in the city center or some prime location...

No one can afford that price.

"So, the system's logic for determining debt is based on whether a claim has been made?"

The system will record any debt for which someone claims payment.

If no one dares to bring it up, will this debt simply not be recorded?!

"Does that mean that in the future, as long as the damage caused is large enough that no one dares to claim compensation, there's no need to worry about owing money?!"

Suren's eyes lit up slightly.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he opened his mobile banking app again, looked at the "0" on his balance, and his expression stiffened slightly.

The ten million US dollars that Alex transferred were recognized by the system as legitimate income.

It was deducted the moment it was entered into the account, leaving him with nothing.

After going around in circles, his pockets were still clean.

Just then, another notification box appeared in Suren's mind.

【Ding! 】

[A one-time debt repayment of $10,000,000 has been detected, triggering a phased reward.]

The host can choose one of the rewards below.

Option 1: Ten random magical items (one-time use)

Option 2: Obtain bloodline breakthrough materials

Looking at the two options, Suren pondered for a moment.

The ten random temporary magical artifacts look fancy, but they are of little help to him at the moment.

He now has the Thunder Sword [Alastor] for melee combat, the Deer Bow crafted by Nico for ranged combat, and the Shadow Cloak and Serpent Claw provided by [Valak] for support.

Combined with their innate skills [Trickster] and [Royal Guard], these skill sets can basically cover various combat scenarios, so there is no need to pursue those unknown one-time consumables.

In contrast, the bloodline breakthrough materials that can transform one's strength are what are urgently needed right now.

Based on previous missions, not every mission will yield breakthrough items.

Furthermore, he had already obtained two bloodline breakthrough items.

With a slight thought, Suren retrieved the two items from Silent Hill.

The first item is the [Ancient Demonic Origin (Regeneration)] dropped by the Ancient Ogre, which is a dark green heart covered with tentacles and still pulsating slightly.

The second item is the [Hell Demon Essence (Spirit)] dropped after killing Valak, which is a blurry and uncertain phantom.

"I choose option two."

[Reward issued: Demonic Essence (Magic) x1]

As the system notification appeared, a high-density energy body appeared in Suren's hand.

This thing is supported by highly condensed magic, and the magic inside rotates at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, looking like...

A Rasengan.

A heart, a phantom image, and a magic orb—three objects emanating different auras—floated silently in front of Suren.

The energies interact and complement each other, subtly forming a perfect balance.

【Ding! 】

[The three core elements have been gathered.]

[New stage objective unlocked: Please increase your Demon Bloodline Awakening level to 20%.]

[Upon reaching this threshold, three elements of essence can be consumed to achieve a bloodline sublimation breakthrough.]

[Upon breakthrough, unlock the Spartan bloodline form: Demon Transformation, and gain exclusive talent.]

Looking at the last few words on the system panel, even with Suren's calm personality, her breathing couldn't help but become heavier.

Demon transformation.

This is the true trump card of the Spartan demon bloodline.

This is a battle form that allows the user to fully unleash the demonic power within their body, causing their physical functions and destructive power to increase exponentially.

Even in his most basic demon form, he possesses the ability to directly confront and even kill a lord-level demon god.

At that time, as the bloodline level increases, not only will the normal strength be greatly enhanced, but the aerial flight posture that comes with [Alastor] will also be unlocked.

As a magical artifact that houses a demon with the lightning attribute, it can only be used when its user enters a demonic state.

Only then will [Alastor] materialize the power of thunder behind the user, converging into a pair of demonic wings flashing with electricity, allowing the user to soar freely.

Suren stored his source energy in Silent Hill, a burning glint in his eyes.