The golden light that had signaled the end of Han Jue's first debt cycle didn't just fade; it coalesced, dragging him out of the physical world. For a moment, he felt weightless, as if he were being pulled through a needle's eye.
When his feet hit solid ground again, the air was different. It didn't smell like the damp obsidian of the basement or the metallic tang of the battlefield. It smelled like old parchment, expensive cedar, and the faint, ozonic hum of raw power.
[Welcome to your Sovereign's Office.] [Time Dilation: 10:1 (One hour inside is six minutes outside).] [Status: Level 22 Dread Sovereign (First Cycle Cleared).]
Han Jue blinked, adjusting to the dim, amber lighting. He was standing in a room that looked like a mixture of a high-end corporate boardroom and an ancient sorcerer's library. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over a swirling, violet nebula—the heart of the Abyss, tamed and put behind glass.
In the center of the room was a massive desk carved from a single block of dark mana-stone. Behind it sat a throne-like chair upholstered in Void-Widow silk.
"So, this is the 'Sub-Space,'" Han Jue whispered, his voice echoing.
"It is the Ledger of the World, Han Jue."
The voice didn't come from the System's typical holographic interface. It came from the shadows in the corner of the room. A figure stepped forward, draped in robes that shifted between white and black, like a flickering film reel. The face was obscured by a mask—half a smiling merchant, half a weeping skull.
"Who are you?" Han Jue's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his Heart-Seeker Dagger.
"I am the Previous Auditor," the figure said, its voice a layering of a thousand different tones. "Or rather, I am the residual data of the man who held your debt before you. You may call me 'The Broker'."
"I don't remember seeing a 'Broker' in the manual," Han Jue narrowed his eyes.
The Broker chuckled, a dry sound like shifting gravel. "The manual is for the debtors. You have cleared the first cycle. You are no longer just a slave to the balance; you are the one who maintains it. Tell me, how does it feel to own an A-Rank Guild?"
"It feels like a lot of work I haven't been paid for yet," Han Jue replied, walking toward the desk. He noticed a large, leather-bound book lying open on the stone surface.
"Spoken like a true Sovereign," The Broker said, stepping closer. "But be warned. The System's 'Creator'—the entity that drafted the First Debt—didn't design this tool for your benefit. The Abyss is a hungry machine. It creates rifts to generate debt, and it uses Auditors like you to harvest it. You are the middleman in a cosmic scam."
Han Jue looked at his hand, where the Crown of the Void shimmered. "If I'm the middleman, then I can take a cut."
"Indeed. But the more you take, the more the 'Source' notices you. The King of the Void you fought? He was a warning. A repo-man sent to see if the new Auditor was worth the investment."
The Broker vanished into smoke, his final words hanging in the air: "Go to your sister, Han Jue. The Audit of a Life is the hardest one to settle."
The Miracle at Ward 402
Han Jue opened his eyes back in the basement of the Golden Dawn HQ. He felt refreshed, the "Mortgage" on his lifespan feeling slightly less heavy now that his balance was in the positive.
He didn't wait for the cleanup crews or the frantic calls from the Association. He hailed a high-speed mana-taxi and headed straight for the hospital.
When he arrived, the hallway was a mess. Mr. Choi, the director he had intimidated earlier, was surrounded by police and Association investigators. They were hauling him out in mana-cuffs.
"Han Jue!" Choi screamed as he was led past. "You did this! You leaked those files!"
Han Jue didn't even stop. "I didn't leak them, Choi. I just updated the ledger. The truth is a debt that always gets paid."
He entered his sister's room. Han Ling looked as fragile as ever, the blue mana-circulator humming like a dying insect. Han Jue walked to her bedside and placed his hand on her forehead.
[Target: Han Ling] [Condition: Collapsed Mana Veins (Magical Coma)] [Debt Status: UNFAIR (External Interference detected)]
"External interference?" Han Jue's eyes narrowed. He looked deeper into the System's diagnosis.
[Analysis: Target's mana was 'Harvested' during her Awakening by a third-party siphon. Residual signature: 'Golden Dawn Guild - Secret Project: Icarus'.]
The air in the room turned cold. The Golden Dawn hadn't just been his employers; they were the reason his sister was dying. They had stolen her potential to power their own "Heroes."
"They didn't just leave me to die," Han Jue hissed, his mana flaring. "They started the debt years ago."
[Would you like to perform a 'Sovereign's Restoration'?] [Cost: 40,000 Soul Points.] [Effect: Force the 'Harvested' mana back into the target. Warning: High risk of mana-rebound.]
"I have 50,000 points. Use them," Han Jue commanded.
He didn't care about the risk. He placed both hands on Ling-er's chest. The Crown of the Void on his head began to glow with a blinding, celestial light. He wasn't just healing her; he was reaching into the past and pulling her stolen future back into the present.
"PAY BACK WHAT YOU OWE!" Han Jue roared.
A torrent of pure, golden mana erupted from the Crown and poured into the girl. The medical machines in the room exploded, unable to handle the sudden surge of energy. Outside in the hallway, the lights flickered and died as Han Jue created a localized vacuum, pulling every scrap of ambient mana into his sister's broken body.
Han Ling's eyes snapped open. They weren't brown like they used to be. They were a shimmering, iridescent violet.
She let out a gasp, her back arching off the bed. The collapsed veins in her arms began to glow like neon maps, knitting back together with the strength of a high-tier Awakener.
[Restoration Complete.] [New Balance: +10,000 Soul Points.] [Han Ling: Awakened (Potential Rank: S).]
Han Jue slumped over, his Mana reservoir completely empty. But he felt a small, warm hand touch his cheek.
"Jue... brother?" Han Ling whispered. Her voice was weak, but she was looking at him—really looking at him—for the first time in two years.
"I'm here, Ling-er," Han Jue choked out, a rare tear tracing a path through the soot on his face. "The debt is paid. No one is ever going to take anything from you again."
The Shadow in the Hallway
Outside the room, Elena Sol stood in the shadows, her arms crossed. She had watched the entire "Restoration" through the cracked glass of the door. Her silver eyes were unreadable.
She looked at her tablet, which was displaying a frantic message from the Association High Council.
[TOP SECRET: Detection of 'Primordial Mana' in District 7 Hospital. Immediate containment of Han Jue is authorized.]
Elena didn't move. She didn't call for backup. She looked at the man inside—a man who had just spent his entire fortune, a fortune he'd bled for, just to save his sister.
She deleted the message.
"You're making it very hard to arrest you, Han Jue," she whispered to the empty hallway.
She turned to leave, but stopped when her own Sense triggered. A shadow was moving at the end of the corridor—not a monster, but something worse. A man in a suit, holding a briefcase with the logo of the World Audit Organization.
The real collectors had arrived. And they didn't care about justice. They cared about the balance.