Suddenly, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

---

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

One-Month Quest Completed: Defile Renzhi’s Wife

Status: COMPLETE

---

Rewards Granted:

+4,500 Cuck Points

+15 Seduction

+10 Charm

+10 Aura

+10% Affinity Boost

+1 Free Physical Item Purchase from Shop

---

West’s eyes lingered on it briefly before another notification appeared.

---

[ HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED ]

Condition Met: Defile Renzhi’s Daughter

Status: COMPLETE

---

Hidden Rewards Granted:

+3,000 Cuck Points

+20 Confidence

+10 Mental Resilience

Unique Trait Unlocked: Predator’s Instinct

> Allows heightened perception of emotional weakness, attraction patterns, and resistance thresholds in targets.

Bonus Item Acquired: Veilbreaker Ring

> Negates detection from low to mid-tier sensory abilities. Grants stealth advantage during covert interactions.

---

West exhaled softly. "...Nice."

His system balance had risen to a staggering height of over 15,000 Cuckpoints and he had gotten extra bonuses included boosted substats.

The rewards were absolutely perfect.

—

He didn’t linger around the mansion or waited to entertain guilt that Lianhua might feel after he fucked her, so he immediately left.

...

...

West visited divine forge and the base today as well, so night had settled across the city by the time he was headed back home.

The air was cool by this time and streetlights flickered faintly across empty sidewalks and narrow roads as he made his way back toward his apartment.

Everything felt... normal again... until West sensed a presence following him.

He slowed slightly before speaking. "...Come out."

For a moment, there was no response... and then suddenly, smoke seeped from the alley beside him and then a figure stepped through it.

A man around 6’5 with a very lean body, proceeded forward.

"...You’re perceptive."

West tilted his head slightly. "...What do you want?"

The man smirked faintly. "Straight to business."

He took a step forward as smoke curled around his body like it belonged to him. "No introduction?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

West didn’t move. "Don’t need one."

He paused briefly with a thoughtful expression before adding; "...Frankincense?"

The man laughed. "...No."

His body flickered, partially dissolving into smoke for a split second before reforming. "I’m not with them."

West’s eyes narrowed. "...Then who?"

The man’s smile widened. "Let’s just say...you made a mistake targeting someone under my protection."

West exhaled slowly. "...Viktor."

The man clapped once. "Bingo."

"Boss may not be awakened...but he’s got money and money gets results," his voiced dropped to a very cold tone as the smoke around him thickened.

"...People like me."

West cracked his neck slightly. "...A hired blade."

"Call it what you want," the man stepped forward.

"And tonight—" his body blurred as he turned to smoke— "...you die."

He reappeared instantly in front of West, striking at him.

West swerved slightly and moved to counter with his fist shooting forward but it passed through the hired awakened.

The man reformed behind him in a haze of smoke and a kick slammed into West’s side.

BOOM!

West slid back but recovered almost instantly. "...Intangibility."

The man smirked. "Among other things."

His arm dissolved partially, turning into swirling black smoke before solidifying and striking again.

West dodged and countered with another attack but once again, it phased through as that part of the awakened body turned into smoke.

"...Annoying."

The man laughed. "You’ll get used to it."

Smoke spread outward, engulfing the area causing visibility to drop instantly.

West stood still, listening, feeling and observing the movements in the surroundings but the smoke clouded his perception nonetheless.

West suddenly spun and raised his left arm to blocked as a strike came in from the side.

The instant the attack was blocked, the man dissolved into smoke again and reappeared from a different position.

Their clash soon turned into repeated strikes and evasion, over and over and over again.

The rhythm became clear... with West barely evading or blocking at the last moment, one single mishap or slower than usual response was all the hired hand would need to land an attack.

The alley soon became a battlefield of shifting smoke and flashing strikes.

Every exchange between West and the hired awakened ended the same way... contact that never quite landed, blows that phased through vapor, counters that arrived from impossible angles.

The man wasn’t just fast... he was very evasive, making conventional combat useless.

A swirl of dark smoke twisted beside West’s shoulder before reforming into a solid arm.

THUD!

A punch slammed into West’s ribs, sending him skidding a few feet across the damp pavement.

The man reformed fully, rolling his shoulders as smoke curled off his skin.

"Told you... you die today," he voiced calmly. "You can’t hit what you can’t touch."

West straightened slowly, brushing dust from his shirt without changing expression.

"...You’re right."

The man smirked. "I usually am."

West lifted his gaze. "...But you’re also predictable."

The smirk faltered slightly. "Predictable?" the man echoed.

West stepped forward, calmly. "You rely too much on intangibility."

The man laughed again. "And you don’t have a way around it."

His body dissolved once more, becoming smoke, spreading outward and circling West like a predator testing its prey.

West exhaled slowly. "...You think this is going to last long?"

The smoke turned thicker as the man’s voice echoed from everywhere at once. "Oh, I think it’ll last exactly as long as I want it to."

West smiled faintly. "...No."

The moment the smoke began to condense again, West activated one of Seraphyra Abilities.

[ Poison Mist Activated ]

A faint purple smoke bled outward from his body like a thin, almost invisible haze.

As the smoke-form assassin swept toward him, the two mixed, intertwined and blended unbeknownst to the man.

He reformed behind West to strike again but West stepped aside, letting the attack pass.

Fwwwhiiiii~

The man landed smoothly, smirking again. "...Still can’t touch me."

West only watched without speaking as he waited.

Five seconds passed by before the man suddenly paused as his breathing intensified.

"...What—?"

He coughed repeatedly with bloodshot eyes while placing his hand on his chest.

"...What did you—korrh! korrh!" He coughed twice again.

His body flickered, turning half smoke, half solid as he became unstable.

"...What did you do to me...?"