The coins wouldn't stop falling.
They clinked against the floor in a steady, maddening rhythm—each one a golden echo of failure. Kai Everain sat hunched over the edge of his bed, face buried in his hands, as streams of shimmering coins poured from his sleeves, his pockets, even the air around him. His power—his curse—refused to rest.
"Debt accrued: 3,250,000 Gold," the spectral text blinked in front of him, cold and unfeeling.
He'd grown used to the numbers. What terrified him now was how normal it all felt.
The Hero Tax Tournament was over, but its damage lingered like an unpaid loan. They'd saved lives, sure but at what cost? His team was scattered, sponsors withdrew, and the Adventurer's Guild had kindly informed him that "emotional trauma" wasn't a deductible expense.
Kai laughed under his breath, the sound brittle and tired. "Still broke… still standing. Guess that's something."
The cat Lazybones stretched on the dresser, tail flicking. "Something? You call three million in magical debt something? That's a national deficit, boss."
"Semantics."
The laughter died quickly. The air felt heavier tonight. The kind of silence that crept in after the noise of battle faded, when victories stopped feeling like wins and started feeling like receipts.
Kai stared at the gold gathering at his feet, glowing faintly with mana. He should have felt proud, his Limit Breaker had carried them through a war of taxes and politics. But now, it felt hollow. Each coin shimmered like a reminder that power came with interest rates he'd never agreed to.
Outside the window, the city of Aurumveil was alive with noise bards singing of heroes, merchants celebrating the end of the tournament, nobles making new deals in gold-lit parlors. To them, the "Debt King" was just another headline.
To Kai, it was a sentence.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I didn't fight for a crown. I fought for a meal plan."
Lazybones yawned. "Congratulations. You got both, and the bill."
There was a knock at the door. Three sharp raps, official and urgent.
Kai glanced up, dread creeping into his gut.
"Debt Enforcement Division!" a voice barked from the other side. "Mr. Everain, you are forty-two hours past due on your Heroic Loan Repayment Schedule."
Kai sighed, standing slowly. The gold stopped falling only for a moment.
"Figures," he muttered, rolling his shoulders as sparks of golden energy flared around his hands.
"Lazybones."
"Yeah?"
"Think we can outrun bureaucracy?"
The cat snorted. "We couldn't outrun a baker's tab, boss."
Kai cracked a grin. "Guess we'll fight, then."
The doorknob turned. Light seeped through the cracks.
And as the door burst open blinding, holy light flooding the room; Kai Everain, the man who wielded debt like destiny, stood to meet it head-on.
Because heroes pay in blood.
And Debt Kings pay in everything else.