A heavy silence ruled over the conference hall. Lian’s gaze was still fixed on the last image.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, of monsters kneeling in a blood-covered street, as if they were worshipping something.
Or perhaps... obeying something.
Professor Aldric waved his hand, and the holographic images disappeared.
The blue light of the hall slowly dimmed, and the space returned to normal.
But the heavy feeling those images had created did not go away.
Lian was quiet for a few seconds.
"Do we have no description of the monster?" He finally asked.
Aldric locked his hands behind his back.
"More or less, but that is the problem." He paused briefly, his gaze fixed on the floating map.
"One said it looked like a human. One said it looked like a monster. One said it was over three meters tall. One said it was about the size of a normal human."
Lian’s eyebrows came together. These contradictions were strange. Too strange.
He thought about whether the witnesses might have just misunderstood? Or could the monster change its form?
But the most likely option was that the witnesses could not clearly identify the monster’s face due to fear, which is logical.
"None of the reports match. It is as if each person saw a different creature." Aldric continued.
Then his voice became quieter.
"But they all agreed on one thing."
"What?"
Aldric’s eyes narrowed.
"The eyes."
"Everyone said the eyes were completely white. No pupils, no color. Just white."
For a few moments, neither of them said anything. Then Aldric moved his hand again, and three new images appeared.
Confidential military images. The first image showed a destroyed street. Overturned cars, blood on the asphalt, and monster carcasses.
And in the farthest point of the image... a shadow stood. Very far, very blurry. So blurry that it was impossible to identify its shape.
"The first satellite image." Aldric said.
The image changed.
The second image appeared. The same street, the same shadow, but this time slightly closer. However, the entire image was full of noise, as if the camera had malfunctioned at that exact spot.
The screen was full of white and black lines.
Lian frowned.
"Was the system broken?"
"No."
Aldric answered without hesitation.
"Five different satellites recorded the same problem."
This time, the third image appeared.
And for the first time, Lian felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
No creature could be seen, but hundreds of monsters were kneeling in the street. Wolf-like monsters, reptile-like monsters, and many others. All without exception kneeling in silence, as if waiting for orders.
Even Aldric stared at the image for a few seconds.
"This image caused the case to be upgraded from yellow to orange." He then said quietly.
Cases are classified into five categories based on danger level. White, which is practically safe. Blue, which has a low risk level. Yellow, which requires elite teams to be sent. Orange, which requires professional Awakened who have gone through at least two evolutions.
And red, which is handled directly by the government and the Federation.
Lian said nothing, but in his mind... another image appeared. The city of Frostheart. Monsters that panicked and obeyed when they saw the Frostfallen Titan.
Creatures that did not even dare to raise their heads. That absolute obedience, that instinctive fear, was a sign of a high-ranked creature.
But he quickly pushed that thought aside. He should not jump to conclusions. He still did not have enough information. But he already had a general understanding.
Aldric turned toward him.
"That is why I chose you."
Lian looked at him.
"Just because I am level ten?"
"No."
Aldric shook his head.
"Because you are the survivor of the tenth Ruined Realm. You have seen things others have not. You understand monsters better than most students at this Academy."
Lian was quiet for a few moments.
"Then why did you only tell me this?" He then asked.
This time, Aldric gave a very faint smile. A smile that quickly disappeared.
"Because my instinct tells me you are the best choice for this mission." His eyes locked directly onto Lian’s.
"And my instinct is rarely wrong."
Then he stepped closer, his voice lowering.
"If you see that creature..."
Lian listened.
"Don’t fight. Don’t chase. Don’t play the hero. Just report it. That’s all."
"A group of Awakened who have gone through at least two evolutions will be following you secretly. If an unknown situation occurs or that monster appears, they will protect you."
Lian nodded, but deep down he knew. If that creature was really a Fallen one like the one he had seen in the realm... there would be no need to run or report.
A few minutes later.
The doors of the conference hall closed behind him. The hallway was almost empty. Most students had left long ago.
The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty building.
But suddenly, he stopped. Someone was standing there. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for him.
Cassian Dric. The operation leader. The strongest student present at the meeting. When Lian approached, Cassian stood up straight.
He just looked at him for a few seconds.
"I still don’t think you are ready for the forward team." He then said.
Lian had expected such a start.
But before he could say anything, Cassian continued.
"But if Professor Aldric chose you..." He paused.
"Then there must be a reason."
This time, Lian was really a little surprised. Cassian was not like Darren. He was not looking for humiliation or a fight. He was just realistic.
Then Cassian stepped forward.
"But listen to one thing well. I am in charge of this operation. Real people will fight there. Real people will die."
"And real people will be saved." His eyes narrowed.
"So it is better if you don’t mess up. I don’t want to lose anyone."
Lian looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I want the same thing."
For the first time, Cassian gave a faint smile, then without another word, he passed by him. Instead of causing trouble, he just wanted to give the necessary warnings and advice.
A few minutes later, Lian left the Academy’s main building. A cold wind was blowing, and gray clouds still covered the sky.
But his mind was elsewhere.
The black market.
Two Fallen corpses were still inside his storage space. He had not sold them until today because their value was very high. Much higher than normal monsters. And with his current level, selling them would still attract a lot of trouble.
But now the situation had changed. If the unknown creature was truly the leader of the attack... then there was a high chance it was at least a Fallen one.
And considering that the normal monsters attacking that border city were at most level 15, that Fallen monster would be at least level 15 as well.
And facing a level 15 Fallen was no joke. Even with his current power, being level ten did not mean he was invincible. He knew this better than anyone.
In the Ruined Realm, he had been on the edge of death many times. That was why he needed equipment.
Armor, better weapons, talismans, emergency tools. Anything that would increase his chances of survival and victory.
But there was a problem. He had no connections to the black market. He did not even know their address, and to enter such a place, he needed a middleman.
He thought for a few seconds, then suddenly a person appeared in his mind. Kain.
Lian paused. Then he took out his phone and checked the time. The first-year classes should have ended.
He tapped on Kain’s name. A few seconds later, the call connected. His friend’s familiar voice came from the other end.
"Oh? What happened? You called?"
"I need your help."
A few moments of silence passed, then Kain’s excited voice was heard.
"Is this dangerous or does it involve money?"
"Both."
A few seconds of silence.
Then Kain’s loud laugh echoed through the phone.
"Great. Wait for me in front of the dorm in five minutes."
The call ended. Lian slowly lowered the phone. As the cold wind blew through the Academy buildings, he fixed his gaze on the horizon.
He had a strange feeling. He was about to enter another world. A world that even many Awakened did not dare to approach.
The black market.