Chapter 10: Claiming the Zone
The heavy-set man with the blood-stained pipe didn’t even have time to swing.
As Leon crossed the threshold into the brick-walled courtyard, his thirty-foot Wither circle swept over the pavement like ink spilled across a clean canvas. The thug’s cocky grin vanished as his knees suddenly buckled. The iron pipe felt as heavy as a lead anchor in his grip, his muscles turning to water as the necrotic aura stripped away twenty percent of his raw strength.
"What the hell..." the thug gasped, dropping the weapon with a loud metallic clatter.
Leon didn’t exchange words with men who were already dead. He stepped into the man’s clumsy guard, pulled the matte-black Ashen Dagger from his coat sleeve, and drove the blade straight upward under the guy’s chin.
Squilch.
The dark steel pierced through the bone into the skull. Thanks to the decay damage from the weapon scroll, the man’s eyes rolled back instantly, his body dissolving into sand before he could even hit the ground. A cool ripple of blue light drifted from the ash pile back into Leon’s palm, refilling the drop of mana he had spent to keep his domain open.
[Target destroyed. You have restored 1% of your maximum Mana.]
[Absolute Extraction Activated.]
Strength +1
"Shoot him! Shoot him now!" Mr. Sterling shrieked, his polished silk suit looking ridiculous as he stumbled backward toward the floating sapphire pillar. His face was pale, his manicured hands shaking violently as he pulled the silver revolver from his waist.
The three remaining thugs scrambled, but their bodies were already moving in slow motion inside the heavy pressure of the dark circle. One guy managed to lift a baseball bat, but Leon was already there.
Leon spun past the swing, gripped the thug’s wrist, and twisted until the bones shattered like dry twigs. Before the man could scream, Leon dragged the Ashen Dagger across his throat, turning him to ash in mid-air.
The last two guards threw their weapons down and fell to their knees, weeping and begging for mercy as the terrifying shadow of Leon’s hood loomed over them. They weren’t soldiers; they were just cowards who thought the apocalypse meant they could play warlord for a day.
BANG.
A single gunshot shattered the quiet of the courtyard.
Mr. Sterling had finally managed to fire his revolver. The small lead bullet tore through the smoke, flying straight toward Leon’s chest. But Leon didn’t even flinch. He simply activated his defensive skill, his forearms turning the color of reinforced gray iron beneath his sleeve.
PING.
The bullet struck his forearm, losing all momentum and dropping onto the concrete with a dull metallic plink. It hadn’t even scratched the fabric of his new cloak.
Sterling stared at the flattened piece of lead on the floor, his jaw dropping so low it looked unhinged. "Monster... You’re a damn monster..."
Leon walked up to the executive, the matte-black blade dripping with a faint purple haze. "You wanted to set the prices for people’s lives, right?" Leon asked, his voice flat, carrying a chilling depth that made Sterling wet his trousers. "Here’s the new price: your life costs exactly one bullet."
Before the man could offer his bank accounts or his corporate connections, Leon drove the dagger straight through his silk tie, piercing his heart.
[Target destroyed.]
[Absolute Extraction Activated.]
Mana +2
Intelligence +1
The three remaining piles of ash scattered into the afternoon breeze. The two surviving guards were still face-down on the concrete, shaking so hard their teeth were chattering against the stone.
Leon ignored them. He walked up to the floating sapphire pillar—the Suppression Node—and extended his right hand, pressing his bare palm against the smooth, cold crystal face.
[Suppression Node Alpha-09 detected.][Current Owner: None (Deceased).]
[Would you like to claim this territory for yourself?]
"Claim," Leon commanded.
The blue light inside the stone flared violently, shifting from a calm sapphire to a deep, abyssal violet that matched the color of his own soul. A powerful shockwave of raw mana rippled outward, rushing across the courtyard walls and expanding until it covered a perfect three-block radius around the apartment complex.
[Territory claimed successfully.]
[Zone 44-B-Sector 12 is now a Private Sanctuary under your authority.]
Effect 1: Low-tier monsters cannot spawn within this three-block radius.
Effect 2: The owner receives a 5% stat bonus while fighting inside their own sanctuary.
Current Residents: 2 (Suppressed).
Leon turned his head slowly toward the two surviving thugs who were still curled up on the pavement. They looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, realizing that this dark figure now literally owned the ground they were kneeling on.
"Get up," Leon said.
The two men scrambled to their feet instantly, keeping their heads bowed, not daring to look directly into the pitch-black space beneath his hood.
"Clean up the yard. Throw those abandoned cars against the gates to block the entrances," Leon ordered, his voice carrying the absolute weight of a monarch. "From today on, this place has new rules. You work, you survive. You slack, I throw you out to the wolves. Understood?"
"Yes, sir! Understood, sir!" they yelled in unison, sprinting toward the heavy metal gates to carry out his orders without a single second thought.
Leon walked over to the stone steps of the central apartment lobby, sitting down in the shade. Volume 1 of his regression was officially over. He had secured a level 15 elite core, unlocked a legendary chest, upgraded his primary domain, and locked down a private sanctuary before the military could even secure their main lines.
He pulled out the sapphire Gate Core he had harvested from the Gnoll Chieftain earlier, turning the heavy stone over in his hand. The true game was just getting started.