An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2542

Dustin stared at the stone steps leading downward. Taking a deep breath, he began his descent slowly and cautiously.

The hidden passage was long and dimly lit. As he continued forward, the path gradually leveled out and widened.

Everything ahead was quiet. No new traps appeared, and nothing seemed out of place.

He followed the corridor into a vast secret chamber. The room was filled with treasures—divine weapons, cultivation manuals, rare herbs, and priceless artifacts.

Dustin scanned each display carefully but didn’t spot the ornate box said to contain the Dracan essence. His gaze eventually settled on a solid steel door at the far end of the chamber, engraved with intricate runes.

He pulled out the compass and checked it. The needle pointed directly at the door and didn’t waver.

“It must be inside this vault,” he muttered.

After putting the compass away, Dustin approached the heavy door, studying the dense, cryptic runes etched into its surface.

He knew the runes held the key to unlocking the vault. As he examined them closely, something stood out.

Among the dozens of engraved symbols, only six showed faint fingerprint smudges. Dustin deduced that these six runes formed the password—and cracking the sequence would open the door.

Falling into deep concentration, he tested several combinations. When he pressed the sixth rune into place, a sharp crack echoed, and a sudden volley of poisoned needles shot from hidden holes.

Reacting instantly, he leaped and flattened himself against the ceiling.

The needles whizzed past and buried themselves into the opposite wall, leaving behind a cluster of deep holes. Their deadly sharpness was unmistakable.

“Just as I thought—this won’t be easy.”

Dustin landed lightly. After refocusing, he tried a new sequence.

The second attempt failed as well. This time, the door released a spray of acrid green liquid.

Anticipating the trap, Dustin dodged in time.

The place where he had just stood sizzled with spreading corrosion. It didn’t stop until it reached steel reinforcement over three feet deep.

If the liquid could eat through solid stone, it would have stripped flesh from bone in seconds.

There was no doubt—Nathaniel’s vault was protected by lethal mechanisms. Even a grandmaster would be wise to avoid a direct encounter. One misstep, and it would be over in a flash.

Undeterred, Dustin resumed his work and continued trying different combinations.

Each failed attempt triggered a new defense—sometimes poisoned needles, other times clouds of toxic gas, venomous insects, or bizarre and unpredictable traps.

Once, the floor lit up with a restriction formation. Another time, a steel cage dropped from above. Every trap was designed to kill without mercy. If Dustin hadn’t been as skilled and quick, he would’ve died several times over.

He entered another code, only to see it fail again. Frustration simmered beneath the surface.

Though the traps hadn’t hit him yet, each mistake brought him closer to disaster.

The guards outside, knocked out by the smoke, would wake in less than two hours. If he didn’t open the vault before then, the mission would be a complete failure.

He had briefly considered forcing the vault open, but that would instantly alert Nathaniel. By the time he retrieved the Dracan essence, Nathaniel could have the area surrounded.

Even if Dustin escaped, his identity would be exposed, and that would mean a direct confrontation—something he hoped to avoid.

That worst-case scenario wasn’t an option. For now, he had to rely on patience and persistence.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as pressure mounted with each failed attempt. Then finally, after countless tries, the vault door let out a low hum and slowly creaked open.

“Finally,” Dustin muttered, relief washing over him.

The repeated failures had pushed him to the brink. He had nearly lost control and considered breaking the door down.

But in the end, he had succeeded. With the traps exhausted, he stepped inside and scanned the shelves filled with treasures.

His gaze locked onto two ornate boxes sealed behind bulletproof glass. He moved quickly, lifted the protective cover, and opened the boxes.

Inside were the familiar Dracan essences.

“Just as I thought,” he said softly.

A flicker of satisfaction crossed his face as he slipped the boxes into his pocket. The mission had been grueling, but it was finally complete.

Just as he turned to leave, a loud thud echoed—the vault door slammed shut behind him.

Red poison smoke began to pour from concealed vents.

Then, a shrill alarm blared through the mansion.

Dustin’s expression darkened. Despite all his precautions, he’d failed to detect Nathaniel’s final trap.

This was going to be a problem.

At the opposite end of the mansion, Nathaniel slept soundly—until the blaring alarm shattered his slumber like a thunderclap.

He bolted upright, sprang from bed, and rushed for the door without even stopping to get dressed.

“Guards! Someone’s broken in. Follow me!” Nathaniel shouted.

He quickly gathered a team and sprinted toward the vault.

The alarm had been set to trigger only if the vault was breached. If it had been the secret chamber, he might’ve slept through it. Those items were valuable, but not critical.

The vault, however, was different. Every item inside was irreplaceable. Even a single missing piece would be catastrophic.

At that moment, Nathaniel didn’t care who the intruder was or why they had come. He just needed to stop them—and fast—before the damage became permanent.