Chapter 129: I Wasn’t Even Going to Bother

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: I Wasn’t Even Going to Bother

Perhaps feeling guilty, Milo Shaw avoided looking at Magnus Barrett and said nothing. He simply took a step back to create some distance, pretending he hadn’t heard the threat.

Chloe Reed was genuinely terrified. He shrank back toward the door, not uttering a word.

Hannah Morgan, on the other hand, clearly didn’t take his threat to heart. She looked up at the ceiling, her voice as calm as ever. "He’s been revived, so this instance should be over now, shouldn’t it?"

’That’s right.’

’It should be over by now, right?’

Seraphina Sinclair tilted her head up as well, curious to see what Hannah Morgan was looking at. The ceiling was just a ceiling; there was nothing there.

While the two women found nothing, Magnus Barrett, who was being ignored by everyone, felt a surge of rage rush to his head. He let out a sudden roar and, without a second thought, threw a punch at the person closest to him—Hannah Morgan!

The punch was sudden and fueled by all the resentment from his death and resurrection. Its force was astonishing.

Hannah Morgan didn’t seem to expect the sudden attack. Her expression flickered as she turned to dodge.

But someone was faster.

The instant Magnus Barrett’s shoulder muscles tensed and his fist flew, Seraphina Sinclair, still holding her Sunflower, took a seemingly casual half-step forward, placing herself perfectly between Magnus and Hannah.

She didn’t block or counter-attack. She simply looked at Magnus Barrett with those calm, unwavering eyes.

Magnus Barrett’s fist froze in midair, less than ten centimeters from Seraphina Sinclair’s face.

The force of the punch stirred a few wisps of hair on her forehead.

The ferocious look on his face froze. The moment his eyes met Seraphina Sinclair’s, the icy memory of death flooded his mind, instantly dousing his rage and leaving only primal fear.

His arm trembled slightly, but he didn’t dare move it another inch.

"Had enough?"

Seraphina Sinclair said, her voice unreadable. "Or would you like to experience that again?"

Magnus Barrett’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He remained frozen for a few seconds before resentfully, painstakingly slow, withdrawing his fist. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze, not daring to look at Seraphina Sinclair again. He managed to squeeze a few words through his teeth: "You just wait."

But in the face of absolute silence and suppression, the threat sounded feeble and pathetic.

Milo Shaw and Chloe Reed both breathed a sigh of relief.

Hannah Morgan took a long look at Seraphina Sinclair’s back and said softly, "Thanks."

Seraphina Sinclair simply tossed a new contract over. Broadening her horizons had one price; saving her life, of course, had another.

The expression on Hannah Morgan’s face shifted from gratitude to shock, before finally settling back into her usual icy calm.

She silently signed her name and handed the contract back.

Seraphina Sinclair was very pleased. She put the contract away and was about to close the system menu when she suddenly noticed a message that hadn’t come with an alert.

[Instance complete. Evaluation in progress. Please wait for automatic extraction after the instance duration reaches four hours!]

’Oh?’

’So we can’t leave yet because the time isn’t up.’

’And the instance is already complete, with the Evaluation being generated.’

’Whatever I do now probably won’t affect the Evaluation... ’

As Seraphina Sinclair thought this, her gaze shifted to the fuming Magnus Barrett.

He was glaring sinisterly at Chloe Reed, his eyes occasionally darting over to Milo Shaw and Hannah Morgan.

That didn’t prove anything.

Among them all, the person Magnus Barrett hated most was, of course, Seraphina Sinclair. But her power was so overwhelming that he didn’t even dare show a hint of his desire for revenge.

’Fail to pull the weed out by the roots... and it will grow back in the spring...’

’Even a child knows that. How could I possibly let someone who holds such a grudge against me just walk away?’

’It’s not the thief who steals that you should fear, but the one who’s always watching.’

’The grudge was already set in stone. If I don’t take care of this problem now, while I have the perfect opportunity, I know it will eat away at me later.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze lingered for a moment on Magnus Barrett’s face, a mask of suppressed venom, before she looked away nonchalantly, as if it had been just a casual glance.

She told the others about the system prompt.

Hearing that all they had to do was wait for the time to run out, Hannah Morgan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Even Magnus Barrett, full of hate, seemed to relax.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at him one more time, then, holding her Sunflower, she slowly walked toward the edge of the platform.

The area near the abyss was dimly lit.

With her back to the others, she seemed to be admiring the bottomless darkness below, or perhaps just waiting for the final extraction.

Hannah Morgan kept a wary eye on Magnus Barrett. Milo Shaw and Chloe Reed also subconsciously distanced themselves from him, each finding a spot to rest. The atmosphere on the platform was tense and oppressive. No one spoke; there was only the sound of heavy or unsteady breathing.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Until...

The Sunflower in Seraphina Sinclair’s arms sent out an urgent mental cry that only she could "hear": ’Behind you! Villain! Bad thing... coming fast...’

At almost the same instant, a suppressed roar and the sound of rapid footsteps erupted from behind her.

In the end, Magnus Barrett couldn’t hold himself back.

Maybe he felt he was about to leave the instance and would have no other chance. Maybe he was provoked by the sight of Seraphina Sinclair’s back. Whatever the reason, he converted all his fear into a final, desperate madness, his target set squarely on the woman who had turned her back to him.

He was even clutching a piece of jagged stone he’d pried from somewhere, its sharp point aimed right at the back of Seraphina Sinclair’s head.

"Die!"

He roared, his face twisted in morbid glee.

"Serafelle, look out!" Milo Shaw cried out, but it was too late for him to intervene.

Chloe Reed was frozen in terror, and even the ever-composed Hannah Morgan’s eyes widened slightly.

But Seraphina Sinclair had positioned herself here for the express purpose of baiting him into attacking.

’We’re still in the instance, and the Evaluation is the most important thing. I can’t risk anything that might affect my Evaluation.’

She didn’t turn. She didn’t even make a big movement. The arm holding the Sunflower adjusted its position slightly, and her body slid a light, perfectly natural half-step to the left, as if she had merely shifted her weight.

It was this perfectly timed half-step that caused Magnus Barrett’s supposedly surefire attack to miss completely.

He had put too much force into the lunge and couldn’t stop his momentum. He stumbled forward—directly toward the bottomless abyss.

"AARGH!"

The madness on Magnus Barrett’s face was instantly replaced by utter terror. He flailed his arms, trying to grab onto something, but there was nothing to catch.

His body lost all balance, and with a desperate howl, he plummeted straight into the dark void.

The scream quickly faded into the distance, eventually vanishing completely.

A dead silence fell over the platform.

Milo Shaw and Chloe Reed’s faces were ashen, their bodies frozen stiff.

Hannah Morgan stared at Seraphina Sinclair’s still-composed back, then glanced toward the abyss. Her pupils contracted, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on her own back.

’I saw it clearly. That seemingly unintentional step Seraphina took—the timing, the angle—it was terrifyingly precise!’

’That wasn’t luck. It was calculated!’

Only then did Seraphina Sinclair slowly turn around, her face wearing a perfectly measured expression of surprise and regret.