Healing System

"I am not looking for any trouble; I just didn't find what I was looking for, is all," Michael tried to defuse the situation with his saintly smile. However, it proved to be ineffective.

"Huh? Didn't find what you liked? You do know the rules of this place, don't you?" The man pushed forward, trying to sound as intimidating as possible, before continuing:

"If you come in, you must purchase a service. That is—and always was—the first and only rule of this place."

Michael rolled his eyes in annoyance before speaking. "This is my first time coming here. I didn't even bring enough money to get the simplest service."

"And that is your fault, not mine, so go figure out a way to pay, or I will make you," the man said, glancing at some of the people around them and pointing toward Michael.

"You all agree, right? No precedents?"

Most ignored him, though a few nodded—those same people who had been sitting with him before he had decided to become an annoyance.

"You hear that? Go ba—" The man's words were interrupted when Michael grabbed him by the throat, applying enough force to strangle him, but not enough to make him pass out.

Slowly, he was lifted off the ground and flung toward the table where he had been sitting.

"I told you, I am not interested," Michael remarked, beginning to head downstairs. No one even tried to stop him.

However, he felt a bit uneasy. The people on the topmost floor seemed to be scanning him, their mana brushing past him slightly.

He ignored it, passing the confused receptionist before stepping outside.

'Was there some sort of instruction manual I was supposed to get beforehand? How would I know I'd end up with a murder menu?' he complained with a scowl, walking through streets that, for some reason, had fallen silent.

I guess that's culture shock for you. Most cities have a Shadow Sect—or at least a branch. They dabble in assassinations openly, and since their influence is massive, no one can touch them.

'Is it like this in every Murim world?'

I wouldn't know. I've only been to a couple of dozen myself, but from what I've seen? Yes. So far, none have differed much from the others. Only the size of the world and the strength of the people vary.

'I see...' Michael nodded to himself and began spreading his mana all around, covering every little detail in his surroundings.

The reason? He was being followed.

Ever since leaving that strange restaurant, he had constantly felt a presence tracking him. Now, it seemed to be approaching.

It didn't feel particularly strong, but he could never be too sure. It was possible to hide your strength, after all.

Michael's mana finally picked someone up, and the moment it did, he let out a deep breath and approached the individual, stopping right beside them.

"Why are you following me?"

"I'm just a bit curious how someone would dare to do that inside the headquarters of the Shadow Sect," the woman shrugged. She was the same one who had tried striking up a conversation with him.

Michael wasn't convinced. "You seem like some sort of stalker. Are you sure you don't want to rob me or something?"

"Of course not!" She stretched her arms forward, seemingly flustered by his assumption, before continuing. "I just... I wanted to tell you that what you did was a mistake, is all..."

"Really? Should I have just sat at my table until he left, then?" he shot back.

"It's better than getting a bounty placed on your head..." she mumbled, though he overheard it.

"A bounty? What do you mean?"

Her eyes widened as she took a few steps back before saying, "You don't know?"

"No. Since you're stalking me, mind explaining?" Michael said with a smile, which quickly turned into a frown.

While it had been quiet just moments ago, his map was now filled with countless red dots—all heading straight for him.

Noticing her stammering and evasion, he immediately grew suspicious. Without hesitation, he summoned a single Sword of Light, aiming it at her neck.

"You are stalling," Michael deduced in a cold voice, noticing her previously flustered expression twitch.

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"You are quick on the uptake," she giggled as her body began glowing faint blue, freezing the ground beneath him.

It seemed she was trying to stop him from moving, but it did not work. He simply raised his foot and brought it down swiftly, shattering the ground below.

He had never gone for the environmental approach, but his strength now allowed it.

The woman was startled as the ground crumbled beneath her. Before she could fight back, Michael pierced her head with his Sword of Light.

'I hate two-faced people.' Michael sighed and threw the golden sword in the direction of the approaching horde, their ranks ranging from Upper Tier 1 to the middle of Tier 2.

It almost seemed they had sent out lackeys to gauge his strength. If all went as expected, he would soon face one of the individuals from the upper floor.

The golden sword traveled swiftly before disappearing from his sight.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Tracking it with both his senses and the map, he saw a whole line of red dots vanish. He knew he was on the right track.

Summoning a few more, he sent them toward the approaching enemies, watching as their numbers dwindled by the second.

Eventually, only 30–40 people remained. Perhaps out of fear or orders from above, they all swiftly retreated toward the Shadow Sect branch.

Michael did not let his guard down. But no matter how much he scanned the area, even using Eyes of the Great Sage, he could not spot anyone else approaching.

The only thing he noticed was a distant presence—one that belonged to an incredibly strong individual, the same one whose power he had been unable to gauge.

'System, do you know anything about the bounties?' he asked, staring directly at the strong presence without backing down.

They put a bounty on your head if you break the rules. As you heard, the first rule is you must buy a service upon entering. However, there's one more.

A frown appeared on his face. 'Another one?'

No fighting in buildings owned by the Shadow Sect. You broke two. By tomorrow, you'll likely be one of the most wanted people in Murim. But hey, look on the bright side—you'll get some training fighting them.

'...And the other option?' Michael asked, sensing the system's explanation wasn't finished.

Haha... Yeah, the other option is to wipe out the Shadow Sect—roots and all. If there's no Shadow Sect to pay the bounty, what's the point in hunting you? Simple, right?

'You are unbelievable...' He groaned, holding his head.

But deep down, Michael knew it wasn't that bad of a strategy—the more he ran and the more he killed, the more his bounty would increase. The only way he could put a stop to it would be by getting rid of the cause.

That meant the entire Shadow Sect.

However, as he was lost in his thoughts, he noticed the strong presence vanish, and, in the very corner of his map, two familiar dots appeared; they were Gu Wan and Hu Rong.

'Seems like they finally made it...' he thought with a smile before taking one last glance in the direction of the Shadow Sect and making his way toward his group.

It was about time he completed the escort mission.