The Man in the Cracks × The Exposed Fourth Tier

The flames and wind completely obscured the Wither Heart Strike.

And the searing heat from the blaze served as the perfect guide for its path.

Though its speed wasn't impressive, its explosive impact was devastating.

Its durability made it one of Joey's deadliest trump cards.

When facing single targets, Wither Heart Strike or a Golden Experience construct armed with First Bomb were both ideal.

So, when he launched the Heart Strike, Joey also flicked a coin empowered with First Bomb straight toward the man with the phone.

He couldn't tell whether the man's ability could differentiate living beings or all objects. Either way, it was better to wait before transforming the coin into a Golden Experience lifeform.

The coin was already imbued with the ability. He could morph it at any time.

As long as it got close, he'd have a good shot at luring the man into touching it—especially with Heart Strike blazing the trail ahead.

This would test the enemy's ability thoroughly—and if it went well, eliminate him outright.

But Joey didn't overlook the other danger: the man's allies.

Yes.

He sensed another Nen user entering his En.

At this point, anyone showing up here had to be Royal Army.

Even if they were hiding inside the ceiling.

Weird.

Joey had sent insects to scout the overhead ducts before. The first tier's ceilings were tight, save for a few air vents big enough for someone small to crawl through.

So if someone could sneak into that claustrophobic space, it had to be their Nen ability.

Bone-shrinking? Or a spatial quirk like Luini's?

Joey couldn't say yet.

His En only gave a vague silhouette. It was irregular—he couldn't identify the exact nature of the ability.

But his surveillance insect was already on the move toward the spot.

Give it a little time, and he'd have visual confirmation on his phone.

With that thought, Joey spun on his heel and moved toward the Fourth Tier.

The hidden foe was also in that direction. That was why Joey didn't wait to see the result of his attack on the phone-wielder—he turned and left immediately.

He worried the enemy had anticipated his exit route. If he miscalculated Fugates and Kajo's arrival, they'd be ambushed.

Even as the gunfire rang out, private soldiers from other princes' sectors had started to appear in the corridor.

The noise had drawn attention.

But none moved into the battle zone—only watchful eyes stayed back.

That's when Wither Heart Strike's tank reached the smartphone holder and detonated in a cocky, flamboyant blast.

The man, too focused on his phone screen, hadn't noticed it arrive.

Only when it screamed something unintelligible and annoying did he look up.

But before he could react, the tank exploded—sending him flying.

The charging Royal soldiers froze.

From their perspective, the officer had simply lifted his head—then suddenly got blown skyward.

It all happened too fast.

The explosion wasn't lethal—he hit the ground, singed and stunned, but alive.

But before he could recover, a coin appeared before his eyes—

—and in his stunned gaze, it morphed into a hummingbird, darting into his raised arm.

He heard the quiet click of a pen.

Joey, mid-sprint, now flanked by Killer Queen, saw its right thumb lower.

He smirked.

Anyone who dared attack him had better be ready to be erased.

As Killer Queen's thumb fell, Joey knew the First Bomb had triggered.

He glanced at the phone screen.

The camera showed a tight ceiling crawlspace—

—just inches from the lens, a flattened, grotesque face!

The person wedged in that overhead slot was boneless, nearly gelatinous, crawling with uncanny speed toward Joey's location.

Yet that face… something about it struck Joey as familiar.

His brows furrowed. Faces flickered through his mind—until he landed on one with a drooping mouth.

He matched the images.

No doubt about it—it was a member of Morena's Ei-Ei Family.

But her aura had changed.

Back then, she felt like a trickling stream.

Now? She exuded the force of a river.

So this was what leveling up after killing a prince looked like.

Joey quickly reasoned it out.

If she was here, then she must have been the one who assassinated the Third Prince.

That caught him off guard.

When he'd dispatched the pair to the VVIP tier, he'd assumed the man would do the deed—he seemed stronger, and the dynamic made him the apparent leader.

But Joey's En only detected her, now mutated into a strange, flexible creature.

The man, then—must've been eliminated.

Not Joey's concern.

Having identified her, Joey speculated on her goal.

She wasn't coming for him—just likely drawn by the noise.

After all, she was from the Ei-Ei Family, not the Royal Army.

No reason to be part of this skirmish.

And she likely wasn't planning to leave Tier 1.

To hit Level 100, the best method was still assassinating a prince from Tier 1.

So why crawl toward his direction?

Was it to stop him from escaping?

Could she have deduced his identity and his plan?

Joey's eyes narrowed.

Her path led to Tier 4. But the Fourth Prince was already dead.

If her goal were a kill, shouldn't she head toward the Fifth or Sixth Tier?

Unless…

She'd figured out who he was—and knew his escape route?

Joey's gut tightened. It made sense.

They had interacted before. She'd used Fugates' passage.

She knew Joey could escape Tier 1 this way.

There were plenty of clues to piece together his identity.

And Joey suspected she'd been observing him for a while.

It was the only way she'd know to intercept him at Tier 4.

But when had she arrived?

Joey's En range had limits.

Even if it stretched irregularly in some directions, he had blind spots.

Worst case? She'd noticed him the moment he created the fog.

But that no longer mattered.

What mattered now was this:

She was heading to Tier 4 to intercept Fugates and Kajo.

If Joey couldn't escape Tier 1, he'd become a permanent target—and a perfect distraction.

Hell, maybe she thought the spatial ability belonged to a prince.

In that case, she was aiming to cut off the prince directly.

Joey had to admit—it was possible.

And even if not, eliminating Fugates would trap Joey in Tier 1 and boost her odds of killing a prince.

It was a win-win move.

Smart play.

Joey smirked coldly.

He'd read her intentions—seen her goal—and deduced her ability.

If she was gunning for him, she was signing her own death warrant.

A coin appeared silently in Joey's hand.

Assassination was still his most valuable card—especially with Killer Queen not fully revealed.

And this girl wasn't using En, just Ten.

It made sense—her ability was kill-based.

She lacked foundational Nen skill.

That made her easier prey.

As long as she wasn't a Specialist, Manipulator, or Conjurer, Joey could crush her outright.

Even without confrontation, a First Bomb assassination was elegant and efficient.

Golden Experience coated the coin.

It transformed into a bee, buzzing upward toward the ceiling.

A small aura projectile shot ahead—drilling a hole.

The bee slipped into the crawlspace and began pursuit.

If it touched her from behind, and Killer Queen's thumb dropped, she'd vanish instantly.

By the math, the bee would intercept her as she entered Tier 4's central chamber.

That would be slightly slower than Joey himself.

But Joey deliberately slowed down.

Because something felt off in Tier 4.

His En detected a disturbance ahead.

Someone had arrived before the crawlspace girl.

Someone had broken through the wall from another direction to enter Tier 4.

That gave Joey a sinking feeling.

Maybe picking Tier 4 as a rendezvous point had been too hasty.

The only other viable escape was Tier 8—but that was much farther from Tier 2.

To get there with Melody in tow, he'd have to cross two prince zones—far riskier.

Tier 4 was the most direct.

But now? It seemed the Royal Army had anticipated everything.

Flamethrowers. Snipers. Now this person in Tier 4—

They'd predicted he'd appear again in Tier 1.

But how had they guessed that?

Joey couldn't fathom it.

Still—an opportunity presented itself.

That girl from the Ei-Ei Family wanted to trap him?

Fine.

Let her deal with the Royal Army first.

Joey reduced the bee's speed even further.

Meanwhile, his Heart Strike Tank had begun returning.

He had programmed it to return after the phone-man's death.

Now that it was done, the tank ignored the flames and raced back toward Joey.

Once retrieved, Joey would unleash it in the coming Tier 4 battle.

By now, Fugates and Kajo should be nearing Tier 4 too.

But Joey couldn't sense their aura.

Had they noticed something and stayed hidden? Or had they not yet arrived?

Another worry plagued him—did the Royal Army have anti-space abilities ready?

He'd escaped before with spatial powers—maybe they'd prepared a countermeasure.

If it was the former, Joey would know as soon as he reached the wall—if no door had opened, they hadn't come.

But if it was the latter… things would get complicated.

He'd need to wipe out the Royal Army to leave Tier 1.

Not great—especially since he still had to protect Melody in the middle of the fight.

(End of Chapter)