Back when Ethan saw Fairwind struggling to do anything against the short man's hand lodged in the vault door, it was clear the intruder was confident in his defense.
But then something caught Ethan's attention.
Why had the short man worn a ring right before pushing his arm into the vault?
He was clearly proud of his body's defenses—so why the need for extra protection?
Could the ring be the key to passing through the vault door?
That single thought changed everything.
If Ethan could somehow remove the ring, maybe the short man wouldn't be able to phase through the door anymore.
But trying to grab it directly would be dangerous. The short man's hand could transform into a drill at any time and rip his fingers off. A direct attempt would alert the enemy.
So Ethan shifted focus.
Earlier, Fairwind had mentioned there were items and materials stored beneath the cabinet.
Ethan quickly opened the lower compartment, eyes scanning for anything useful.
At the top lay a massive horn, as thick as a grown man's arm. It was strange—despite its size, it looked manageable, but when Ethan tried to lift it—
It wouldn't budge.
Small as it seemed, it was incredibly heavy.
Since it was unclaimed, Ethan didn't hesitate. He stored it straight into his backpack.
Upon checking the inventory, the system revealed the item's name:
"Dark-Gold Tier Juvenile Earth Dragon Horn."
Dragon. Just that one word meant power. Anything related to dragons was no joke in this world.
Time was short. Ethan didn't hesitate.
He activated his talent—Unlimited Mutation.
He slotted the Earth Dragon Horn into the catalyst position, linking it with his summoned beast, the Anti-Bone Boy.
> "Mutation in progress... Please select an outcome."
a) Enhance physique, gain dragon traits
b) Enhance power, unlock Destructive Mutation
c) Unlock dragon bloodline, gain "Dragon's Fear" aura
Ethan chose option B.
The result was insane:
> "Mutation complete. Strength +7200, Constitution +1200, Penetration +300, Armor Penetration +300, Skills Gained: Smash Bite (Green), Devour (Purple)."
"Devour (Purple): Tear through anything using your jaws."
Short and vague—but with Anti-Bone Boy's passive skill "Destruction", it could likely tear through the short man's wrist.
Ethan glanced at his updated stats:
Strength: 10,923 (+10,923)
Physique: 2,346 (+2,346)
Agility: 186 (+186)
Spirit: 90 (+90)
Penetration +500, Armor Penetration +400
Combat Power: 711 stars
With this, Anti-Bone Boy reclaimed his spot as Ethan's strongest summoned beast, even stronger than the mighty Blade Fiend.
Ethan summoned him immediately.
Anti-Bone Boy now had a twisted horn on his head, and his body was coated in shimmering dragon-scale-like armor.
But all Ethan could think was: "Why does he have a horn now? How will I smack his head later?"
Fairwind, though, was amazed. "Whoa! This is your summon? What species is this? It looks like a tank!"
"Focus," Ethan replied. He pointed to the hand coming through the door. "Go. Bite. That. Thing."
Anti-Bone Boy lunged forward and clamped down hard.
The short man screamed. Loudly.
Finally— defense broken.
What Fairwind had failed to do for minutes, Anti-Bone Boy accomplished with one devastating bite. A deep wound was carved into the intruder's wrist.
Though strangely, there was no blood. The flesh didn't heal either.
Ethan grinned. "Got you."
The skill "Destruction" made it so any wound wouldn't heal. The Anti-Bone Boy could now grind the short man's arm down to the bone, little by little.
The short man wailed in pain. The bite wasn't just tearing skin; it crippled his regeneration and inflicted agony with every second.
He realized something terrifying—Anti-Bone Boy wasn't trying to kill him. He was trying to take the ring.
If the ring was removed, he wouldn't be able to phase through the vault. He should call for help.
But…
He knew the butler too well.
If he failed this job, he'd be discarded. Or worse.
The only option left? Try to break in before the damage got worse.
But it was too late.
The Anti-Bone Boy's strength was absurd, his grip unbreakable, and the "Destruction" skill slowly corroded the arm's function.
The short man was trapped. Literally and figuratively.
He began to pray someone—anyone—would save him.
That's when he saw it: the tall man had been destroyed in a single punch by the Bearded Master.
The short man clung to hope. Maybe, just maybe, if the Bearded Master and the butler started fighting, he could use the distraction to escape—even if it meant losing an arm.
Inside the vault, Ethan and Fairwind saw the punch too.
Even with his face hidden behind a mask, the Bearded Master's attack was unmistakable.
"Holy crap!" Fairwind shouted. "Bai—uh, Ethan, we're saved!"
"That punch was legendary!"
"I've decided—I'm going to become his student."
Ethan ignored him. "Focus on the hand. Don't let it escape."
He wasn't about to let this crisis end without getting something in return.
At that moment, Fairwind screamed again.
"That butler! He's a traitor! Poison darts?! I treated him like family! He was supposed to be a swordsman!"
Crunch.
The Anti-Bone Boy's jaws finally snapped through the wrist.
The severed hand twisted back into a normal shape.
And there it was—
The ring.
Still snug on the severed ring finger.
As if on cue, the vault rejected the short man. His arm, now ringless, was flung back out like garbage.
Illusion shattered. The phasing trick was over.
Fairwind panicked. "My master is trapped! Ethan, what do we do?"
Ethan stayed calm. "He's in more danger than us."
He calmly bent down, picked up the hand, and slipped off the ring.
> Item Acquired: [Platinum-Tier Demonbreaking Ring]
Spirit +1600
Feature 1: Ignore unit volume collision (pass through walls)
Feature 2: One-time daily charge to break enchantment barriers
Requirement: Spirit stat over 3000
"Volume ignoring... That's how the short man got through the door."
He turned to Fairwind. "Is the inner vault enchanted?"
Fairwind nodded. "Yeah. Physical defense on the outside, magical barriers inside."
As expected.
This ring was both the key and the shield. Without it, the short man had no entry, no recovery, and no hope.
Ethan pocketed the ring. No way was he letting go of it.
As for the severed hand? He tossed it to Anti-Bone Boy for lunch.
At that moment, the short man's corpse collapsed outside.
The butler—having seen enough—vanished into thin air.
With the danger gone, Fairwind sighed in relief. "Master's okay… Thank god."
Exactly a minute later, the black lotus trap binding the Bearded Master shattered into pieces, turning into glowing dust.
But Charles, the Bearded Master, was furious.
"Damn it! I waited TEN YEARS for this moment, and he escaped again?!"
"Ten years! If I keep going at this rate, I'll die of old age before catching him."
He stomped to the vault door and knocked hard.
"Alright, it's over. You two can come out."
Ethan raised a brow and stopped Fairwind.
"Wait."
Five minutes passed.
Charles had veins bulging across his forehead.
Kachak—
The vault finally opened.
"About time," Charles grumbled. "Let's go. You're safe now. With me around, no one will dare touch you."
Boom!
Ethan slammed the door shut again.
Charles outside: "WHAT THE—!"
---
End of Chapter 59
-------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------