Chapter 7: Mark Of Defiance

Zane woke with a groan, rubbing his temple. His body still ached, but the worst of the pain had faded. Checking the time—3:00 AM. One more hour before the Safe Zone reopened.

Across from him, the Archfiend sat casually, one leg crossed over the other. The moment Zane stirred, it smirked.

"You're finally awake."

Stretching its massive frame, the Archfiend rolled its shoulders before speaking again

"I've been thinking." It studied Zane, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Tell me something—where are you from?"

Zane narrowed his eyes. "Why ask?"

The Archfiend chuckled. "The way you act… it's different. You don't think like the others. You don't move like them. It reminds me of someone I met hundreds of years ago—another human who didn't quite belong."

A pause. A shift in the air.

"So tell me," the Archfiend continued, "are you really from this world?"

Zane met its gaze without flinching. His voice was calm, unreadable.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. What difference does it make?"

The Archfiend exhaled through its nose, amused. "Heh. Fair enough."

Then, stepping forward, it lowered its voice just slightly.

"Consider this a welcome gift—believe it or not, that's up to you."

It leaned in.

"Your system? This world? They aren't exactly what they claim to be. There are things it won't tell you—details left out, truths buried. But one thing is certain…"

The Archfiend's grin widened, a glint of something dangerous in its eyes.

"This is God's Game."

Zane exhaled, running a hand through his hair. I never fully trusted this system to begin with, he thought. And now, with what the Archfiend just said…

Was it telling the truth? Or just messing with him? He couldn't be sure.

Still, it didn't matter.

"No worries," he muttered to himself. "Whatever danger comes, I'll handle it."

The Archfiend stretched, glancing around. The number of monsters had dwindled, most fading into nothing.

"Looks like the cleanup's almost done," it said. "You can handle the rest. If you agree, I can leave now—the system won't bind me here anymore."

Zane gave a nod. "Fine."

The Archfiend smirked. "Then I'll be off. See you around, Zane Mercer."

With that, it vanished.

Zane turned toward the Safe Zone, its translucent barrier shimmering faintly under the night sky. As he approached, something caught his attention—an iron wall reinforced inside the barrier, stretching along the perimeter.

Had it always been there? Of course, it had. But with everything that had happened—the battle, the pain, the sheer chaos—he hadn't really noticed until now.

From where he stood, he could see a passage built into the front. There's probably another at the back, he guessed.

He exhaled. "System, was that wall man-made?"

[No. This is an upgraded version of the Safe Zone.]

Zane raised a brow. "So Safe Zones can be upgraded?"

[Correct. Walls and other features can be added through the upgrade system.]

He let out a low whistle. "Huh. Safe Zones actually have some perks."

Still, there was a problem. The entire world had just watched a masked fighter challenge an Archfiend. If he walked through the main gate the moment the Safe Zone reopened, people would start connecting the dots.

I need another way in.

But first—he pulled up his system interface. Time to check his status, maybe after the battle I must have leveled up.

[Status Screen]

Name: Zane Mercer

Age:18

Class: Assassin

Level: 461

HP: 25000/25000

MP: 17000/17000

Attribute Points: 0

Currency Points: 2,468,000¢

Skills: Total of 50 Skills.

Titles:

The Challenger: "The first to defy the impossible. A beacon of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds."

Primary Effect – Defiant Will: When facing enemies stronger than the user, all stats increase by 10% (scales with enemy strength).

Hidden Effect – Second Wind: Upon taking a fatal hit, the user survives with 1 HP and gains 12 seconds of damage immunity (cannot take damage but remains fully visible and active). (Cooldown: 72 hours.)

The Evolver: "One who shatters limits and ascends beyond reason."

Primary Effect – Accelerated Growth: XP gain increased by 30% permanently.

Hidden Effect – Adrenaline Surge: If the user gains 10+ levels within a short period, they receive a temporary 50% stat boost for 5 minutes. (Cooldown: 24 hours.)

Marked by the Archfiend: "Branded by the abyss. A mortal recognized by those beyond human comprehension."

Primary Effect – Sinister Aura:

Weaker enemies instinctively feel unnatural fear, reducing their aggression unless forced to fight.

Stronger enemies, sensing the mark, become more aggressive, treating you as a worthy challenge.

Hidden Effect – Dark Evolution: (Not visible until triggered.)

If you kill an Archfiend, the Mark reacts, granting a temporary surge in power.

There's a chance of unlocking a hidden transformation linked to the Archfiend you slayed. (Effect unknown until triggered.)

Zane narrowed his eyes. So doing something insane earns you titles? Interesting.

His gaze lingered on the Marked by the Archfiend title. It was a double-edged sword—both a recognition and a curse. The passive fear effect on weaker enemies was useful, but the fact that stronger enemies would seek him out? That was problematic.

"System, can other Archfiends sense me if I'm near them?"

[Yes.]

Zane's fingers tapped against his arm.

"But can they pinpoint my exact location?"

[Not exactly. They will only sense your presence within a certain range.]

His mind worked through the implications. This wasn't just a mark—it was a beacon. He couldn't move freely near Archfiends without them knowing he was in the area. That meant stealth against them was virtually impossible.

If I play it right, I can use this. He could bait them into traps, manipulate their behavior, or even turn them against each other if they were territorial enough. But it also meant he was never truly safe—at any moment, an Archfiend could sense him and start hunting.

High risk. High reward.

He exhaled, rolling his shoulders.

"Alright then. Let's see how much of a problem this really is."

Zane glanced at his CP balance and raised an eyebrow. "Over two million CP? Killing monsters gives this much?"

[Not exactly,] the system responded.

[Your situation is unique. When you killed a Colossal-class monster, you were only Level 40—that's far from normal. Additionally, you took down a large number of enemies while the system still registered you as Level 40. This caused both your CP gain and leveling speed to skyrocket.]

Zane processed the information. So the system factors in initial level when awarding CP? That explained why his growth had been so explosive. His low starting level made the CP multiplier insane, and his massive kill count only amplified the effect.

A smirk crossed his lips. "So, the lower my level when I take on high-tier enemies, the greater my reward?"

[Correct. However, this method carries extreme risk.]

Zane chuckled. Risk? That's never stopped me before.

If someone had told me I'd go from level 40 to 461 in a single night, I wouldn't have believed them.

And also before fighting the Archfiend, I remembered I was around level 405—now, I'm 461. That means removing just one HP from it gave me a massive level-up.

Zane muttered under his breath, still processing the absurdity of it.

Before he could dwell on it further, the Safe Zone's shimmering blue barrier flickered. A faint hum pulsed through the air before the glow faded entirely, turning completely transparent. At the same time, the main gate slowly began to open, metal groaning as it parted.

Zane was about to enter when the system's voice interrupted.

[Special Rule: The ruler of the Safe Zone is notified whenever someone enters or exits—unless they own a sector within the zone.]

His eyes narrowed. So even if I go in unnoticed, someone will know. That complicated things. If the Safe Zone ruler connected the dots between him and the masked challenger, it could become a problem.

Stealth was still an option—just not through the front gate.

Moving into the shadows of a wrecked building, he waited. Time passed. Slowly, people began to step in and out of the Safe Zone, going about their business.

The moment the crowd thickened, Zane melted into the shadows and slipped inside through someone's shadow.

Guards stood at the gate, collecting tolls from those entering and exiting—but he moved past them unnoticed.

As the person finally reached the market he finally stepped out, as he was dusting himself, a voice cut through the market murmurs.

And called his name,

"Zane."