Chapter 333

Dickson smiled like a man who already knew how this was going to end. He leaned forward to place his arm on the table.

"Come on then," he said, voice dripping with cocky confidence.

Lilith stepped closer, her boots clicking against the floor. She placed her hand in his, her expression calm but with the faintest curl at the corner of her lips. Inside, she was already congratulating herself. She knew exactly how this would go. She was faster, stronger, and sharper than she had been before the explosion in Liam’s father’s office. The ice running through her veins wasn’t just for show—it had changed her body entirely. Dickson had no powers. No way he was walking out of this without his pride shattered.

Seo Yeon, who had been watching the whole exchange from her chair, rolled herself forward until she was right beside the table. She leaned on the edge, grinning. "Alright, fam jam duo, let’s keep it clean. I’ll be your referee."

"Fam jam duo?" Dickson shot her a look. "This is me about to humble an overconfident ice queen."

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Humble me? You’re about to regret even sitting down."

Seo Yeon ignored them both and raised her hand for the countdown. "Three... two... one... start!"

The moment she said it, Lilith’s grip tightened and her arm drove forward with all the strength she could muster. She wasn’t holding back. In her head, she pictured Dickson’s knuckles slamming against the table in under three seconds.

But that didn’t happen.

His hand bent slightly under the pressure—just slightly—and then it stopped. Completely stopped.

Lilith frowned. She pushed harder, but his arm barely moved. It wasn’t even shaking.

Across the table, Dickson looked completely relaxed, almost bored.

From where he was standing, Liam’s eyebrows rose. Even he had been expecting Lilith to crush this instantly.

Dickson chuckled, a deep and smug laugh that made Lilith’s jaw tighten. "You fuckers have no idea how long I’ve been living in the gym," he said, eyes locking on hers. "While you’ve been running around with your shiny powers, I’ve been putting in the real work."

He leaned in slightly, his grin widening. "You’ve had your turn. Now... it’s my turn."

A vein popped in his forearm as he started pushing back. The shift was sudden and brutal—Lilith felt her arm being forced backward, her wrist slowly rotating as Dickson’s strength pressed against hers.

Around the room, everyone leaned in. Even Seo Yeon’s grin faltered for a second.

"Holy shit," she muttered under her breath.

The pressure kept building. Lilith’s arm dipped lower and lower until it was hovering just inches above the table.

Dickson’s voice was low but dripping with satisfaction. "What’s the matter? Thought you were evolved now."

Her eyes narrowed. She refused to let this idiot win. And that’s when she made her decision.

A faint shimmer of cold light flickered in her eyes. Dickson didn’t notice until it was too late. In a split second, icy frost spread along the contact point between their hands, crawling up his wrist and locking over his skin.

"Ah! What the—?!" Dickson yelped, jerking slightly as the cold bit into his flesh. The sudden pain made him instinctively loosen his grip.

That was all Lilith needed. She drove his arm downward in one clean, ruthless motion.

Thud!

His knuckles slammed into the table hard enough to make the surface rattle.

She immediately pulled her hand back, straightened up, and said calmly, "I won."

Dickson shook out his arm, clutching his wrist and wincing. "Ref! She used her damn powers! That’s cheating!"

Seo Yeon smirked. "Using powers might be unfair, but they’re not against the rules. Not in this house."

Dickson stared at her like she’d just betrayed him. "Youuu... fuck me!"

From the other side of the table, Lilith’s voice came sweet and mocking. "It’s not that deep. Why are you so mad? Oh... could it be because you’re weaker than a girl?"

That did it. Dickson’s glare went from annoyed to murderous in half a second. He stood up, muttering something under his breath, and turned toward the hallway.

"You really need to find shame, cuz," he threw over his shoulder before disappearing into the rooms, still shaking out his cold, aching hand.

Lilith just smiled, looking entirely too pleased with herself. Seo Yeon snorted, and Liam just shook his head. He’d seen Lilith pull dirty tricks before, but this one might have been her most petty yet.

——

Liam’s eyes slowly opened to the faint, bluish glow of his system interface hovering in front of him. The time in the top corner read 5:02 AM. His head felt clearer than usual, the kind of clarity that came from waking before everyone else, when the world was still heavy with sleep.

He slid out of bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor, and made his way to the door. The hallway was dimly lit, the only light coming from small overhead strips running along the ceiling. Everything was still, almost unnervingly so. No voices, no footsteps, no faint hum of computers in the distance—just the deep, muffled silence of early morning.

Then he heard it.

A sound that didn’t belong in the quiet.A rhythmic slash—sharp, deliberate, cutting through the air in a steady tempo. Another came, and another. The sound was coming from the central area where the computer setup was. It echoed faintly along the hallway, mixed with the light scrape of boots against the floor.

Liam followed the noise, his steps slow and silent.

When he reached the open doorway, he stopped and leaned casually against the wall, letting his shoulder press into the cold concrete. His eyes found the source instantly.

It was Kelly.

She was standing in the center of the room, a short blade in her hands, moving with a sharp, disciplined flow. Each strike had weight behind it, but not reckless weight—calculated, controlled. Her stance was low, feet perfectly spaced apart for balance. Her blade hand moved with precision, cutting through invisible targets as if she could see them in front of her. Every so often she’d twist her body sharply, making a clean diagonal cut before spinning into another.

Her breathing was steady, her eyes locked forward in total focus. There was no wasted motion. She’d slash, step, pivot, slash again—then pull back into a guarded position before launching into the next sequence. The blade caught the faint light from the monitors nearby, making brief flashes as it cut through the air.

Liam stayed where he was, saying nothing, just watching. There was a certain calm to her movements despite their speed, the kind of training you only got from repetition. Hours and hours of it.

Eventually, her pace slowed. Her breathing grew heavier, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath. By the time she lowered the blade completely, sweat was running down her neck and collarbone. The thin nightwear she had on clung to her body now, the fabric damp and slightly transparent from the sweat.

Liam’s eyes didn’t flinch away. He pushed off the wall and walked toward her without making a sound. She was so focused on catching her breath that she didn’t notice him until the shadow of his frame passed over her from behind.

Her reaction was instant.

She spun on her heel, one hand snapping to grab his wrist while her leg swept low in a clean arc. Before he could react, his feet were taken out from under him and he hit the ground hard, the back of his shoulders and spine slamming into the floor.

"Ow—damn, that hurts," he groaned, staring up at the ceiling.

The moment her eyes recognized his face, Kelly froze. Her hand released him and she bent down quickly, her voice urgent. "Oh my god, Liam—I’m sorry. I thought you were Dickson sneaking around to check me out."

Liam’s brows drew together as he pushed himself up to sit. "Dickson’s a lot of things," he said dryly, "but a pervert isn’t one of them."

She gave a small, sheepish smile and reached her hand out to help him stand. But the second her fingers touched his, he didn’t pull himself up. Instead, he tightened his grip and gave a sharp tug.

Kelly stumbled forward with a gasp, her body colliding against his chest.

Her palms instinctively pressed against him for balance, but he didn’t let her step back. Their faces were close now, his gaze steady on her as she glanced up. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed how close he was leaning in.

"W-what are you doing, Liam?" she asked, her voice caught between confusion and something else entirely.

His lips pulled into a faint, knowing smirk. "You made me hit the floor. How are you planning to pay me back?"

Her eyes flickered, and she hesitated. "Oh... uh... right..."

Before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned in and gave him a quick, flustered peck on the cheek. Her face was flushed as she straightened up, as if that settled the matter. She shifted slightly, making a move to stand and step away.

But Liam’s hand didn’t loosen.

She felt the subtle pull, the silent refusal to let her go just yet. Her breath caught again.