Chapter 4

Jack ventures deeper into the lower levels of the Ceris Mining Corporation while hiding his true SSS-rank power under the guise of an E-rank worker. When a nest of Earth-Borer beasts attacks the panic-stricken elite miners, Jack secretly steps in to eliminate the threat with a single blow. Although he tries to maintain his anonymity, Ceris observes the mysterious displayJack descends into the hazardous subterranean depths of Section 17 at the Ceris Mining Corporation, hiding his awakened SSS-rank black mana beneath the guise of a desperate E-rank laborer. While secretly extracting high-grade soul-stones with effortless precision, a violent tremor unleashes a B-rank Earth-Borer beast that threatens the crew. Moving with terrifying speed and masking his presence, Jack neutralizes the monstrous threat with a single punch of condensed black energy before slipping back into the shadows unnoticed.In the aftermath of the subterranean battle, Jack attempts to blend in with the other miners by feigning exhaustion and pretending to work. However, the corporate heiress Ceris, who possesses elite sensory perception, detects the lingering aura of his immense power and identifies him as the person her grandfather mentioned. Ignoring the squad leaders taking credit for the victory, Ceris approaches Jack, relieves him of his duties, and commands him to meet her for a private dinner at the surface garage, signaling the end of his days hiding in the shadows. Jack and Ceris share a tense yet revealing dinner at an elite restaurant, where Ceris questions Jack about his hidden strength and her grandfather's legacy. Overwhelmed by painful memories, Jack hesitates, prompting an unexpected apology and softening from Ceris. The encounter concludes with a quiet ride back to Jack's motel, where Ceris impulsively kisses his cheek and abruptly assigns him as her new personal assistant, pulling him away from the mines.The sudden kiss on the cheek left Jack standing frozen on the stained carpet of the motel hallway, the fading roar of Ceris’s sports car still echoing in the dark alley below. For the first time in years, the crushing weight of his E-rank past felt light, replaced by the warmth of a one-million-dollar monthly contract and the sudden realization that his life had changed forever. He looked down at his calloused hands, feeling the SSS-rank black aura pulsing quietly beneath his skin, waiting for the day it would truly be unleashed. As he stepped inside his broken room to pack his few remaining things, he knew he was leaving the dirt and the shadows behind to step into a massive corporate empire by Ceris's side.

The next three years blurred into a whirlwind of immense success, luxury, and a growing bond that eventually led to their beautiful marriage, but the peace was completely shattered the night his toxic family dragged them into the basement trap. Standing over the beaten, unconscious bodies of his parents and his brother Brian, Jack breathed heavily as his SSS-rank aura slowly receded back into his body. He tightly held Ceris's hand as they walked out of the house, ignoring the flashing police lights and the immediate media storm that Brian had already set into motion. The public trial was looming, the company was bleeding billions in lost profit, and the entire city was turning against them based on his family's vicious lies. Jack stood at the courtroom defense table, looking directly into the smug, arrogant eyes of his brother Brian, who was still faking tears for the judge. But Jack didn't tremble anymore; he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the flash drive containing the absolute truth of what happened in that basement. As the judge ordered the bailiff to play the video, Jack whispered to Ceris that their nightmare was finally coming to an end, completely unaware that a much larger shadow was moving in the dark. Far away from the courtroom, the leaders of the world's most dangerous SSS-rank guilds were watching the live broadcast, realizing that a godlike power had just awakened in an E-rank nobody—and they were already preparing to hunt him down.