Chapter 39: Legacy of God [3]

Sofia skidded to a halt.

Before her stretched an enormous chasm, splitting the land into two separate cliffs. The opposite side was visible in the distance, but a vast expanse of empty space separated the two ledges.

She slowly approached the edge and looked down.

Darkness swallowed everything beneath her.

There was no visible bottom, no winding path leading down, and no indication of how deep the abyss truly was. The darkness seemed almost alive, as though something below were staring back at her.

A chill crept down Sofia’s spine.

For a moment, she couldn’t move.

She had faced monsters before, but the sight of that seemingly bottomless abyss awakened a different kind of fear within her.

The fear of falling into something from which she might never return.

Awooo!

Awooo!

The wolves’ howls snapped her back to reality.

Sofia turned around.

The pack was approaching at frightening speed. The first wolf had already emerged from the forest, its crimson eyes gleaming as it lowered its head and charged toward her.

She had seconds left.

There was no path around the chasm, and turning back would mean being torn apart by the wolves.

Her gaze shifted toward the opposite cliff.

It was far away.

Far too far for someone with her remaining mana.

But it was the only chance she had.

’If I stay here, I’m dead anyway.’

Sofia clenched her fists.

She gathered every remaining trace of mana from her core and forced it into her legs. The familiar warmth spread through her muscles, but it was weaker than before. Her mana reserves were almost completely depleted.

She knew the distance was beyond what she could normally jump.

She knew that even a slight miscalculation would send her plunging into the abyss.

But she wasn’t ready to die.

Taking several steps backward, Sofia lowered her body and fixed her gaze on the opposite ledge.

Then she dashed forward.

Her footsteps thundered against the rocky ground.

The first wolf lunged.

Its jaws snapped shut just behind her as Sofia reached the cliff’s edge and threw herself into the air.

For one brief moment, she felt as though she had escaped the laws of nature.

The world seemed to slow down around her. The wolves’ howls faded into the distance, and the opposite cliff rushed toward her as she soared over the enormous chasm.

She had done it.

She was going to make it!

Then gravity caught up with her.

Sofia’s stomach lurched as her upward momentum began to fade.

The opposite ledge was still several meters away.

Too far.

Her eyes widened.

’No way!’

She desperately forced more mana into her legs, but her core had almost nothing left to give. The faint glow surrounding her limbs flickered before disappearing entirely.

Her body began to descend.

The rocky ledge remained frustratingly out of reach.

’I’m going to die!’

For a fleeting moment, Sofia thought of Lorenzo Riina.

She had entered the Spirit Realm hoping to become strong enough to take revenge on the man who had destroyed her life. She had endured countless hardships and narrowly escaped death more times than she could remember.

Yet after everything she had survived, she was going to die here.

Without even getting the chance to confront him.

’At least I won’t become wolf food.’

It was a pathetic consolation.

Sofia clenched her teeth and twisted her body in midair, reaching desperately toward the opposite cliff.

Her fingertips scraped against the jagged rock.

For one glorious instant, she thought she had caught hold of it.

Then her fingers slipped.

"No!"

Her nails tore against the stone as she tried to find another grip, but the rough surface offered nothing to hold on to.

Her hands slid away.

The cliff edge shot upward as her body dropped beneath it.

Sofia’s eyes widened as the abyss swallowed her.

The wind roared in her ears, tearing the breath from her lungs. The rocky walls rushed past on either side, growing indistinct as darkness closed around her.

She tried to summon mana one last time.

Nothing happened.

Her fingers curled helplessly as the light above dwindled to a distant sliver.

Then even that disappeared.

Her scream echoed through the chasm, growing fainter and fainter until it was swallowed by the endless darkness.

And Sofia vanished into the abyss.

For several moments, silence returned to the cliff.

The seven wolves remained on the opposite side, pacing along the edge and growling at the empty space where their prey had disappeared. None of them attempted to cross.

Eventually, one of the beasts let out a low growl before turning away.

The others followed.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

A few minutes later, footsteps sounded from the nearby forest.

A figure emerged between the trees and approached the cliff’s edge. He wore dark armor, a black smiley-cat mask, and a sword at his waist. He looked across the chasm toward the opposite ledge.

Then his gaze lowered toward the darkness below.

There was no sign of Sofia.

No body.

No blood.

Nothing to suggest that anyone had fallen at all.

The figure remained silent for a moment before the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile.

"My work is done here, he will be pleased."

He turned away from the abyss.

But just before he disappeared into the forest, he paused and glanced back one last time.

"After all," he murmured, "we wouldn’t want an outsider interfering with the search for the Sun God’s legacy."

----

Author’s Note.

End of Volume 1: The Mafia Boss’s New Journey

This is one of the shorter volumes, as its primary purpose is to introduce Samuel Chen, a mafia boss who became the heir to a powerful mafia family.

This volume was intended to establish Samuel’s perspective, introduce his character and circumstances, and lay the groundwork for his journey ahead.

The volume ends right before the academy starts.

So be sure to look forward to the next volume as it will be even more exciting.

Thank you for reading Volume 1!