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The combined attack from the twins had severely injured the intruder, making him unable to move. Seeing their chance, the twins prepared to finish the fight. But the intruder, seizing the opportunity, decided to escape rather than face defeat. He vanished into the shadows, hoping to find a way out of the situation.

"Find the intruder!" Alexa shouted urgently. The twins sprang into action, determined to capture the attacker and ensure he didn\'t escape.

The intruder, thinking he was safe, made his way to a vacant storage room. He opened his inventory, quickly grabbing a health potion from his inventory. He uncorked the potion and took a deep gulp, feeling its healing effects start to mend his wounds.

The intruder, now in the vacant storage room, took a moment to catch his breath. He thought about his carefully laid plans, including his knowledge of the Ford family\'s skills. None of them, he was certain, had barrier skills.

"I have to kill them and bring their bodies to Lady—" he muttered to himself, Just as he turned around, a powerful hand clamped around his neck, lifting him off the ground. The intruder\'s eyes widened in shock as he gasped for breath. He struggled to free himself, but the grip was unyielding.

Looking up, he saw a figure standing with an intense, determined expression. The figure\'s presence was imposing, and the intruder could tell this was no ordinary opponent.

The intruder\'s thoughts raced. "Who is he?!" he wondered, panic rising.

The figure\'s face remained hidden in the shadows, but the intruder could feel the power radiating from him. As he struggled in the tight grip, he knew his situation was quickly becoming dire.

The intruder gasped for air as the grip around his neck tightened. He struggled to speak, his voice barely a whisper. "W-wait!"

His mind raced with confusion. "Who is this? There was no information that the Ford family had a backup this strong!" He couldn\'t understand how he ended up in such a dangerous situation.

\'he\'s gonna kill me!\'

"I-I can\'t die! I have to report this! Help Lady—" A sickening crack as the grip tightened further. Pain shot through him, and his vision started to darken. The pressure was too intense, and he knew he was losing the fight.

The intruder\'s body went limp, his mission unaccomplished, and his secrets left untold.

Seojun stared at the intruder\'s lifeless body,

"I was planning to put this guy to sleep and let someone find him so we could gather more information," he muttered.

"But I ended up killing him instead." He sighed deeply, contemplating his next move. "What should I do now?"

[Host, I recommend absorbing his experience to level up and storing his soul in your Soulbinding Archive.]

Seojun looked up, curious. "So, I can still use the archive?"

[Although you cannot summon phantoms from your archive, you can still collect souls.]

Seojun considered this and nodded. "Hmm, that makes sense." He placed his palm over the lifeless body. A soft, white smoke began to leak from the corpse, swirling around his hand before being absorbed. The process was accompanied by a series of electronic beeps and a holographic message.

A system notification appeared, with the words glowing brightly:

DING!

Experience absorbed. You have gained assassin experience.

[Congratulations host! you have reached Level 50.]

You may now extract the soul.

Seojun took a deep breath and extended his hand over the body once more. Concentrating, he began the process of soul extraction. The body emitted a faint, ghostly light as the soul started to separate.

Ding!

[You have obtained your first phantom in the Soulbinding Archive.]

[This is the first body of this realm. Host can now retrieve lost stats.]

As Seojun completed the soul extraction, the lifeless body began to dissolve into thin air, leaving no trace behind. The white smoke that had leaked from the corpse disappeared, absorbed completely into Seojun\'s hand.The system\'s voice sounded again, more enthusiastic than before.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully obtained your first phantom for the Soulbinding Archive.]

A new notification appeared in front of Seojun:

DING!

[Title Earned: Soulbinder\'s Initiate]

Congratulations! As the first to collect a phantom from this realm, you have gained the title \'Soulbinder\'s Initiate.\' This title grants you additional abilities and benefits related to soul management and retrieval.

Seojun continued his stride through the hallway, his mind focused on the new changes. He opened the system interface once more to review the details:

Name: Han Seojun

Age: 23

Title: Returnee, Soulbinder\'s Initiate

Class: SSS-Rank Abyssal Tamer

Stats:

Agility: S

Stamina: S

Strength: S

Mana: (Infinite)

Affinities:

Dark Flame Affinity: Level 1 (Can only use fireball)

Skills:

Barrier: Level 5 (Upgrade Available)

Etc.

He noted that his Dark Fire Affinity had been unlocked but was only at Level 1. This suggested that there was much to learn and develop in this new skill.

His Barrier skill, however, had reached Level 5. The upgrade allowed him to create a more robust and versatile protective barrier. Seojun thought about the improvements and decided to check what the new level offered:

Barrier – Level 5 Upgrade:

Enhanced Strength: The barrier can now withstand more powerful attacks.

Extended Duration: The barrier lasts longer before needing to be re-cast.

Adaptive Response: The barrier can adjust to different types of threats, providing more effective protection against various attack types.

Area Coverage: The barrier can now cover a larger area, protecting multiple individuals or a larger space.

Seojun nodded and he arrived at the office, He found Chairman Alexander, Alex, and Alexa already in the room. The tension was palpable, and the aftermath of the attack was evident—furniture was overturned, and there was a faint scent of smoke in the air.