The silence in Viktor's opulent office was a stark contrast to the thudding bass that bled through the soundproofed walls. It was a heavy, suffocating silence, charged with unspoken threats. The two guards in the corners, who had been relaxed and bored moments before, were now ramrod straight, their hands hovering near their concealed sidearms, their eyes locked on the strange, calm young man who had bypassed all their security.
Viktor, the king of this small, sordid empire, leaned back in his massive leather chair, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. The initial shock of the intrusion had passed, replaced by a predator's amusement. He had built his career on breaking people—on finding their weaknesses and crushing them until they were nothing but pliant, terrified sources of income. This boy, this skinny, pale university kid who looked like a strong wind could snap him in two, was just a new, interesting puzzle to be broken.
"So," Viktor began, his voice a low, rumbling purr that had made grown men tremble. He gestured at the phone he had just slammed down. "You cost me a very amusing joke. I hope, for your sake, you have a good reason for interrupting me." He steepled his thick fingers, a parody of a legitimate businessman. "My men outside seem to have forgotten their duties. I will have to have a long, painful talk with them later. But first... you. You're Kaelen Vance, aren't you? The little scholarship rat who owes me ten thousand dollars, plus a rather significant amount of interest."
Kaelen stood before the massive mahogany desk, his posture relaxed, his expression unreadable. He did not seem intimidated by the armed guards, by the taxidermied bear roaring silently from the wall, or by the man who held his previous incarnation's life in his hands.
"I have come to settle my debt," Kaelen said, his voice calm and even, without a trace of the fear Viktor was accustomed to hearing.
Viktor chuckled, a deep, humorless sound. "Is that so? Did you win the lottery, kid? Or did you sell one of your kidneys?" He leaned forward, his amusement turning into a cold, business-like glare. "Let's see it. The money. All of it. Now."
Kaelen didn't reach for a wallet. He didn't produce a bag of cash. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and placed a single, small, unassuming object on the polished wood of the desk.
It was a pill.
It was crudely made, slightly lopsided, and a dull, earthy brown color. It looked like something a child might have made from mud and clay.
Viktor stared at the pill, and then back at Kaelen. A look of genuine, baffled confusion crossed his face, followed by a sudden, explosive laugh. It was not a pleasant sound. It was a harsh, derisive bark of a laugh that filled the room. The guards in the corner smirked.
"A pill?" Viktor roared, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "Are you a damn comedian? Is this your payment? Some cheap street drug? Do you have any idea who I am?"
Kaelen remained silent, letting Viktor's laughter echo and die in the room. He simply waited, his patience as vast and deep as the cosmos itself.
When Viktor's laughter finally subsided, Kaelen spoke, his voice cutting through the lingering amusement like a shard of ice. "That," he stated, "is a Lesser Qi Pill."
The name meant nothing to Viktor. It sounded like something from one of those ridiculous martial arts movies.
"It can heal injuries," Kaelen continued, his voice flat and factual. "It can purify the body of impurities. To a true cultivator, it is a primitive, almost worthless concoction. But to a mortal..." He let the word hang in the air for a moment. "...it is a miracle."
Viktor's smirk returned, though it was less confident now. The boy's absolute, unwavering seriousness was beginning to unnerve him. He had dealt with desperate men, mad men, and stupid men. This boy was something else entirely. "A miracle, huh? You're going to have to do better than that, kid." He nodded to one of his guards, a massive man with a heavily bruised and bandaged hand, the result of a bar fight two nights prior. His name was Leo.
"Leo here had a little disagreement with a tire iron," Viktor said. "You're telling me this little mud ball of yours can fix that?"
Kaelen's gaze shifted to the guard. He didn't need the System to see the man's condition. He could see the damaged tissue, the deep bone bruise, the inflammation, as clearly as if the man's hand were made of glass.
"I am not telling you," Kaelen said. "I am showing you." He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod towards Leo. "Have him take it."
Viktor stared at Kaelen for a long, hard moment, trying to find a flicker of a bluff, a hint of deceit in his eyes. He found nothing but a calm, bottomless depth that seemed to swallow his own intimidating stare. This was no longer just about a debt; it was a power play, and his instincts were screaming at him that the rules of the game had just changed.
"Fine," Viktor grunted, his curiosity overriding his skepticism. "Leo. Eat the damn thing. If it's poison, the kid dies slowly. If it does nothing, the kid dies slowly."
Leo, the guard, looked at the crude brown pill with revulsion, then at his boss, then back at Kaelen. With a shrug of resignation, he picked it up, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it dry with a grimace.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Viktor leaned back in his chair, a triumphant sneer beginning to form. "Well, that was impressive. Now, about that debt..."
He was cut short by a sharp gasp from Leo.
The guard stared down at his own bandaged hand, his eyes wide with disbelief. A faint, warm sensation was spreading through his knuckles, a gentle heat that soothed the deep, throbbing ache. He began to unwrap the bandage, his movements clumsy at first, then frantic.
Everyone in the room leaned forward, their attention now completely fixed on the guard's hand.
As the last layer of gauze fell away, a collective, sharp intake of breath filled the office. The sight was impossible. The deep, angry purple of the bruises, which had covered the back of his hand and knuckles, was visibly fading. It was like watching a time-lapse video of a bruise healing over a week, but it was happening in real time, over seconds. The swollen, puffy tissue contracted, the skin tightening back to its normal state. A small, weeping cut across his knuckles, which had been scabbed over, seemed to flow back together, the skin knitting itself shut before their very eyes, leaving behind only a faint, pink line that was also rapidly fading.
Leo flexed his fingers, a movement that had been agonizing just a minute ago. Now, there was no pain. None at all. He made a fist, his knuckles white, but there was only a feeling of newfound strength. He looked up at Kaelen, his tough-guy facade completely gone, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated awe and a healthy dose of fear.
"Boss..." he whispered, his voice hoarse. "It's... it's gone. The pain... it's all gone."
The other guard in the corner stared, his mouth hanging open.
Viktor was completely silent. His shrewd, calculating mind, which had always been his greatest asset, was now spinning, trying to process the miracle he had just witnessed. He was not a man given to flights of fancy. He believed in money, power, and violence. He did not believe in magic. But what he had just seen... it was undeniable. It was real.
And his mind immediately, instinctively, began to calculate its value.
What would a politician pay to recover from a "minor stroke" overnight before a major election? What would an aging billionaire pay to have the vigor of his youth restored? What would a desperate athlete pay to have a career-ending injury vanish in an instant?
The ten-thousand-dollar debt that had seemed so important moments ago was now a laughable, insignificant speck of dust. He was not looking at a debtor. He was looking at a goldmine. He was looking at the future.
He slowly rose from his chair, his demeanor completely transformed. The arrogant loan shark was gone, replaced by a shrewd, almost deferential businessman. He walked around his massive desk and stood before Kaelen.
"That... pill," he said, his voice now a low, respectful murmur. "You have more of them?"
"I can produce more," Kaelen replied calmly. "With the right resources."
"Of course. Resources," Viktor said, his mind already racing. "I have resources. I have connections. I can get you anything you need. A lab. Materials. Protection." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I believe we are in a position to help each other, Mr. Vance. I propose a partnership."
Kaelen looked at the man who, just an hour ago, had sent thugs to break his legs. He saw the naked greed in Viktor's eyes, but he also saw something else: a shrewd, practical mind that could be a useful tool. A sovereign needed servants, and this man, with his network and his understanding of the mortal world's corrupt systems, could be a very useful servant indeed.
"A partnership," Kaelen mused, as if considering the idea for the first time. "I might be amenable to that."
Viktor's face lit up. "Excellent! I knew you were a reasonable man. We will be unstoppable. A 50/50 split, of course. Equal partners in a venture that will make us kings."
Kaelen let the silence stretch out, enjoying the hopeful, greedy look on Viktor's face. He let him savor the dream for a few delicious seconds before he shattered it.
He met Viktor's eyes, the golden light in his own gaze returning, cold and absolute.
"No," he said, his voice flat and devoid of any room for negotiation.
Viktor's smile faltered. "No? What do you mean, no? A 60/40 split, then? In your favor, of course. You are the talent, after all."
"The split," Kaelen said, his voice dropping to a low, commanding whisper that seemed to suck all the warmth from the room, "is 90/10. My favor."
Viktor stared, his face a mask of disbelief. "Ninety... ten? That's not a partnership! That's... that's servitude!"
"It is my only offer," Kaelen stated. "I will provide the product, the miracles. You will handle the mundane logistics of distribution and resource acquisition. You will be my steward in this world. You will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts, but do not mistake our positions. You will work for me."
He took a small step forward, his sovereign aura pressing down on the loan shark. "That is the price of the power you have just witnessed. You have ten seconds to decide if you are willing to pay it."