World of Rules

... 

A Fragile Alliance

No one knew how much time had passed.

On the surface of the island, the tremors had not ceased for a long time, stirring tension among those present. Whispers spread like wildfire—was there a hidden treasure beneath the island? Had powerful groups clashed in a secret battle? Or was the island itself on the verge of collapse?

But beneath the island, in the ancient icy chamber, there was no time to worry about rumors.

Boom!

A powerful impact echoed through the air, and at that moment, the scene became clear—

Six figures, their faces weary but their eyes still burning with determination, surrounded a cracked gray barrier, launching relentless attacks upon it.

With each strike, the cracks deepened. With each assault, they drew closer to the end.

And finally, after a barrage of continuous attacks—

The barrier shattered!

It collapsed with a deep rumble, breaking into shards of gray ice before vanishing completely.

In an instant, the attacks stopped.

Silence filled the chamber.

No one moved.

Not out of exhaustion, but because they were all watching each other.

In truth, the agreement between the two factions had been nothing more than a temporary alliance—a mere means to break the barrier.

But now that their goal had been achieved…

There was nothing binding them to it anymore.

Each of them wanted to claim the treasures for themselves.

The atmosphere was thick with tension, as if the slightest movement would ignite a battle.

But before things could escalate, the old man from the Han family broke the silence. His voice remained calm, but there was a hint of caution within it:

"Well… it seems we’ve succeeded."

No one responded.

He smiled faintly before continuing:

"But before anyone tries to claim their prize, shouldn't we at least see what’s inside the second chest?"

The heads of the three great families were no fools.

They exchanged glances, each trying to read the other's intentions.

It was clear—the Han family had no intention of simply taking the bone and leaving as agreed. They wanted to know what lay within the other chest first.

Master Lian furrowed his brows slightly. "You say that as if you still plan to divide the treasures fairly."

The fat man from the Han family chuckled lightly. "We never said anything about changing the agreement. We just want to make sure of what’s inside. Isn't that reasonable?"

Master Xu closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, his voice cold. "If there's something more valuable than the bone, you’re planning to take that as well, aren’t you?"

The old man waved his hand dismissively, feigning innocence. "Whatever is inside, we can discuss how to divide it afterward. At the very least, it would prevent any hidden surprises that could spark conflict later, wouldn't it?"

No one was completely satisfied with this reasoning, but it made sense.

After a few moments of tense silence, Master Mu let out a slow sigh and said:

"Fine… but on one condition."

"The chest must be opened and its contents retrieved by two people—one from our side and one from yours."

"This way, no one can manipulate the outcome."

The old man appeared to consider it for a moment before nodding.

"Agreed."

…

Under everyone's watchful gaze, the fat man from the Han family stepped forward, while Master Xu approached from the other side, both moving cautiously, their eyes locked on the two chests.

Neither dared to act recklessly. In moments like these, caution was a necessity.

But—

Before either of them could touch the chests—

Whoosh!

A shadow appeared before them!

There was no warning, no tremor in the air, no fluctuation in energy.

One moment, nothing. The next—

A figure stood between the chests, as if he had always been there, concealed within the very fabric of darkness itself.

A demonic young man, a satisfied smirk on his face, as if everything had gone exactly as he had planned.

His long hair swayed gently, as though a hidden breeze surrounded him alone. His dark eyes gleamed with an enigmatic glow, adding a mixture of mockery and absolute confidence to his features.

He didn’t seem to belong to this place, as if he had stepped out of an ancient nightmare to stand before them, watching them as though they were mere pieces in his game.

It was Di!

Before anyone could react—

He grabbed both chests!

The moment his hand touched the chest containing the bone, its lid shut tightly, and the intense cold that had filled the chamber vanished as if it had never existed.

There was no hesitation in his actions.

With a smooth motion, he placed the chest into his storage pouch, as if he had already decided who the bone belonged to from the very beginning.

Then, without a care for the wide-eyed shock surrounding him, he opened the second chest.

Inside lay a beautiful, semi-transparent pearl, radiating an aura of profound mystery.

It wasn’t just a thing of beauty—there was something deeper, something none of them could immediately comprehend.

But one thing was certain—

This pearl was no ordinary object.

It was… extraordinary.

Shock painted itself across their faces.

This was not the outcome they had anticipated.

In a single moment, Di had overturned everything. He had taken what they had fought for, not just for days, but perhaps for weeks.

And he showed no concern for the consequences.

…