Riven Frowned.
He casually picked up his phone and glanced at the screen—his former boss from his previous job was calling.
"Humphrey?"
In his past life, on this very day, Riven had been late for work and was mercilessly berated by this overweight man.
But now...
Riven couldn't be bothered.
He hung up without hesitation, tossed the phone onto the bed, and was about to leave when the phone rang again.
It was still his "boss," Humphrey.
Riven declined the call once more and immediately blocked the number—swift and decisive.
But then…
A message popped up on his messaging app from Humphrey:
"Riven, are you looking for death? The young lady is asking for you. She's giving you one last chance! If you don't comply, think carefully about the consequences..."
Riven didn't even bother reading the full message before deleting and blocking the contact.
At last, the world was peaceful.
"Time to move."
Target: Elias.
Location: Grand River Plaza.
Through social media, Riven had already tracked Elias to Grand River Plaza in Riverbay City. He was personally present, purchasing lifespans.
And Grand River Plaza was only about seven or eight kilometers from Riven's apartment.
At his current speed, jogging there while cloaked in invisibility would take just over ten minutes.
Leaving his phone behind, Riven put on a gray mask and a black coat. His figure instantly blurred, becoming translucent, until he completely vanished!
If anyone had witnessed this, they would have been utterly shocked.
Because...
This was an ability from Eclipse of Eternity, appearing in reality for the first time!
Right now, no other players knew that abilities from Eclipse of Eternity could be extracted into the real world.
And that meant—Elias had no defense against Riven's assassination.
Grand River Plaza, Riverbay City.
4:00 PM.
Elias's female fans had caught wind of his appearance via social media and had flocked to Grand River Plaza.
Among them, quite a few had even farmed lifespan in Eclipse of Eternity—excited to sell it to Elias for a chance to interact with him.
Amidst the crowd…
Protected by over twenty security guards and temporary barricades, Elias sat comfortably at the center of an indoor venue, wearing a white vest and sunglasses, one leg crossed over the other.
Beside him sat a ponytailed girl.
She wore a pink T-shirt, a black skirt, and black stockings, exuding a youthful charm.
She was none other than Elara Jan, heiress to Jan Industries.
Elara had always been a fan of Elias, though not as fanatical as the others.
Upon learning that Elias was buying lifespans, she proactively offered the plaza as the venue.
On one hand, it gave her an opportunity to get close to Elias and help facilitate the transactions.
On the other, once Elias ran out of money, she could step in and buy lifespans herself.
Using Elias's popularity, she could attract even more people willing to "sell their lives."
At this moment, Elara leaned against Elias, chatting and laughing.
She smiled and asked, "Elias, how much lifespan have you acquired?"
Elias glanced at his stats. "Miss Jan, I've collected over 2,000 days of lifespan. Spent around 20 million."
Elara pouted. "And a lot of your fans are giving you lifespan for free! I'm so jealous~"
Elias chuckled and waved his hand. "That's nothing compared to Jan Industries. You guys have deep pockets. I'm just playing around."
Elara humbly shook her head. "Not really… By the way, I heard you've been killed by 'Shadow' three times in Eclipse of Eternity? Don't worry, I've got people investigating his real identity."
Elias frowned. "That's tricky. All we know is that he's male and based in Riverbay City. Nothing else."
Elara smirked. "Everyone has weaknesses—money? Women? I've already sent people to Firefly Town to approach him. We'll offer him a number he can't refuse. If he agrees… he'll have to come to collect the money, right? And when he does, he won't have a choice but to show himself."
Elias grinned. "Not a bad plan. I heard Jan Industries has already used this method to control several players, making them work for free?"
Elara giggled behind her hand. "Idiots, all of them. Weaklings. They can't farm much lifespan anyway. But if we catch Shadow, our efficiency will skyrocket."
Elias nodded. "Make sure to call me when that happens."
Elara laughed playfully. "Of course! Once we catch him, you can personally beat him to vent your anger—"
Suddenly!
Elara's smile froze.
Because right in front of her—Elias's forehead was suddenly pierced by a dark green, eerie throwing dagger.
It had come from nowhere—silent, precise, and deadly.
Thud.
Elias collapsed. Blood pooled beneath him, and just like in Eclipse of Eternity, a grayish-white lifespan sphere condensed above his corpse.
"AHHH—!"
Elara screamed in terror, scrambling backward.
The plaza erupted into chaos as panicked screams filled the air.
"Protect Miss Jan!"
Jan Industries' security personnel sprang into action, forming a defensive perimeter around Elara.
The security captain glanced at Elias—
The sunglasses had fallen from his lifeless face, his eyes wide with disbelief. Blood gushed from the hole in his forehead…
Then, suddenly, the lifespan sphere vanished!
It had been absorbed by someone—but there was no one in sight!
The security guards shivered.
"No way… is this invisibility?!"
"MOVE! PROTECT MISS JAN!"
"Did anyone see anything suspicious?!"
"No?! Then pull up the surveillance footage NOW!"
The scene descended into complete disarray.
Under the protection of over twenty security guards, Elara was quickly ushered through the emergency exit, escaping the plaza…
Just as she was about to get into a black sedan—
A throwing dagger shot out from above, piercing the back of her skull.
Lethal. Instantaneous.
Thud.
Elara Jan—heiress of Jan Industries—collapsed at the entrance of her family's own plaza!
"Didn't expect a buy-one-get-one-free deal."
Still invisible, Riven was mildly surprised.
He had overheard Elara and Elias's conversation.
Since she had already set her sights on him, how could he possibly let her go?
"Not like she was a good person anyway. Might as well deal with her too."
"Too bad… her corpse dropped a few hundred days of lifespan, but with all those guards around, I couldn't retrieve it."
In reality, death also resulted in half of one's tradeable lifespan dropping.
Riven had only managed to absorb 1,046 days from Elias while the chaos unfolded.
That bastard had spent millions collecting lifespan—only for Riven to take it all in an instant.
"If only I had the Blooming Curse skill… I could've extracted the other half too."
Riven shook his head in regret.
The Emerald-tier Blooming Curse required over 10,000 days of lifespan to extract into reality. He didn't have nearly enough yet.
With his task complete, Riven vanished into the shadows—leaving behind absolute pandemonium.
And this broad daylight assassination…
Sent shockwaves across the nation—and the world.