Chapter 28: let’s go to ruin the Prince

I realized, a wave sweat running down my neck. It seems like I am missing a massive piece of the local industry standards here.

I didn’t say another word. I closed my eyes and scream to system.

’Hey! System!’ i roared inside my head. ’What is an Ascendant?! Why am I hearing about global power levels from a corrupt tax investigator instead of my own data panel?!’

[System: Ah... whoops. My bad I was so busy managing your liquid inventory and counting your stolen potion boxes that I completely forgot to download the local world setting patch. Let me update your data right now.]

’You forgot?!’ I gritted my teeth, my snake fangs tightening inside my human jaw. ’You are telling me something critically important like this right now?! I really got a crazy scam artist for a system!’

[System: Relax, your commission is still safe. Downloading the Tier-Progression system manual into your optic nerve now. Look at your screen.]

[GLOBAL PROGRESSION MANUAL LOADED]

[ 1. Genesis (The awakening of the ancient cosmic origin point)

2. Ascendant (The soul rising above mortal gravity)

3. Meridian (Reaching the absolute peak of the physical path)

4. Nirvana (Total liberation; breaking the mortal cycle and physics)

5. Venerable... (————) ??

6. Empyrean ...(————) ??

7. Apotheosis ...(————) ?? ]

??

I saw the list rapidly. The Prince wasn’t just a rich guy with an army—he was a Level 2 powerhouse who could ignore basic physical limits.

’Alright,’ I thought, my yellow eyes flickering as I looked at the data. ’Then what is my current tier? Where do I sit on this balance sheet?’

[System: Opening your updated personal evaluation sheet now, boss. Take a look at your new human specifications.]

[host status panel]

[Name: Barry]

[Current Tier: Ascendant (Stage 1 - Early)]

[Physical Strength: Peak Humanoid (Enhanced by Tier 4 Potion Biomass)]

[Active Soul Compatibility: 90% (Stalled)]

[Current Attribute: Void / Shadow-Silk]

I blinked out of air, a sudden wave of confidence flooding back into my muscles. The Prince was an Ascendant, but according to my system’s fresh data, my physical body had just broken straight into the exact same bracket after swallowing that ancient founder’s stone and the royal blood flask. I wasn’t at the bottom of the food chain anymore. I was a direct competitor.

The Inspector, still sitting on the floor by the table, saw the sudden change in my expression. He misread my quietness for fear, a smile returning to his scratched face. "See? You’re terrified! You know the Prince’s power is absolute! Give up the core now, and—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I took a slow step forward, my six-foot lean frame casting a long shadow right over his lap. The yellow slitted eyes in my pale face gleamed with pure, unadulterated corporate greed.

"Tell the Prince that his audit is officially rejected," I whispered, my deep voice sending a cold shiver right through his ears. "And tell him his new business partner is coming to collect the remaining ten percent of the company stock."

The Inspector looked up at me from the floor, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He could feel the new pressure coming off my muscles.

"You..." the Inspector choked out, his hand shaking as he reached into his torn purple cloak. "You’re at that level too? How can a common ditch snake climb the ladder that fast?!"

"Good management," I said.

Before he could pull whatever hidden weapon or magic trinket he was reaching for, his eyes suddenly went totally dark. The black scratches on his face from the earlier venom fight started to glow with a dull purple light.

"Barry, move!" Suzy shouted from behind me, her voice hitting a sharp note of real panic. "He’s breaking a soul bond stone!"

I didn’t even have time to blink. The Inspector didn’t pull out a sword. Instead, he forcefully smashed his own fist straight into his chest armor, cracking a tiny, pitch-black crystal that was pinned to his collar.

Crack.

The room didn’t explode. Instead, a tiny, freezing black hole opened right in the middle of his chest. The gravity in the room went completely crazy. The wind roared inside the room, ripping the curtains off the windows and sucking all the loose papers, the old guild records, and even the unconscious bodies of the four guards straight into the black void.

"The Prince will hear about this!" the Inspector screamed as his own body began to fold backward into the cold black hole, his face twisting with pure, desperate hatred. "You’re dead, worm! Both of you!"

With a loud pop, the black hole close, vanishing completely. The room went entirely dead silent again. The Inspector, the guards, and every single piece of evidence connecting the Prince to the potion theft were totally gone, teleported straight back to the royal estate.

I stood there in the middle of the mess, my new human hands open, staring at the empty room. The room looked like it had been cleared out by a giant vacuum cleaner.

"Well," I muttered, scratching the back of my neck. "That’s one way to avoid a workplace exit interview."

Suzy walked over from the bed, her boots clicking softly on the bare floor. The fear on her face had turned into a look of exhaustion. She looked at the ruined door, then looked up at my six-foot frame, her eyes full of a strange mix of stress and complete awe.

"They have the records now," Suzy said, her smooth voice sounding tired but steady. "Marcus’s files, the warehouse logs... everything. The moment the Inspector reaches the palace, Prince Raymond will realize we know about his coup. He won’t send another tax team, Barry. He’ll send the royal army to flatten this building."

[SYSTEM WARNING: Palace Alert Imminent.]

- Royal Audit Team Status: Evacuated.

- Target Prince Raymond Threat Level: High.

- Advice: The current corporate branch is no longer a viable asset. Recommend immediate relocation of personnel.

’I know, System,’ I thought, a cold, human smirk forming on my face. ’We’re leaving the office behind.’

I turned around to face Suzy. "Manager, now your building is officially a bad investment. If we stay here, we get crushed by a level-two Ascendant and five thousand men. But if we leave right now?"

Suzy raised an eyebrow, her face still a little bit red from earlier, but her sharp business brain was already catching on. "What are you suggesting, Barry?"

"We go on the offensive," I said, leaning closer until she could smell the cold, sharp energy radiating off my skin. "The Inspector said the Prince is an Ascendant. So am I. And according to me, the only thing keeping me from hitting one hundred percent human compatibility and unlocking my true ultimate form is the rest of that royal blood catalyst. The Prince has it. It’s sitting right inside his private vault at his outer forest estate."

Suzy looked at in my eyes her full red sweet lips curving into a dangerous, beautiful smile. "You want to skip town and rob the Prince’s private house while his army is marching toward my empty office?"

"Exactly," I smiled, holding out my hand to her. "It’s called a hostile takeover. We pack light, we take the side trails, and we go audit his personal inventory before he even realizes his back door is unlocked. What do you say, Director? Are you ready to do some real corporate damage?"

Suzy looked at my open hand, then looked up at my face. She didn’t hesitate. She reached out her hand, her warm fingers sliding firmly into my grip, sealing a completely different man that now she is taking interest in him .

"Let’s go ruin Prince Barry," she whispered.