Rank 4 Anomalies (Calamity-Class Anomalies)
A single one of them could destroy multiple cities.
They may spawn lesser anomalies or cause environmental mutations. Their kill zones expand the longer they exist.
It is advised that the strike team trying to fight the Anomaly has at least one Rank 5 supernatural amongst them.
Rank 5 Anomalies (Extinction-Class Anomalies).
They are nation-scale threats.
They are indestructible and sealing them is impossible.
They can only be threatened to go back to their world.
Once a Rank 5 Anomaly appears, an entire major Hidden Clan must fight it together to hold it down.
While it is possible to send the Anomaly back to their world, the chances of the Hidden Clan’s survival are less than 40%.
Rank 6 Anomalies (Deific-Class Anomalies)
Impossible to kill, seal, or threaten to go back to their world.
They are capable of wiping out the entire humanity.
If a Rank 6 Anomaly appears, humanity can only pray and hope they are spared.
Many people believe that there is no way the Monkey King could’ve sealed the Rank 6 Anomaly - the Silver Whale.
It is rumored that the Silver Whale returned on its own, and the Monkey King used the opportunity to increase his fame by acting as if he had sealed it.
However, the Monkey King is still the strongest Supernatural. It’s why no one can refute his claims.
Not all Anomalies were hostile.
An example was Rank 6 Anomaly, Pyramids of Giza.
They do not attack anyone directly.
But it was still dangerous in its own ways.
If anyone entered too deep into them, they would vanish, and the world would forget they existed.
I stared at the screen, leaned back and sighed.
This world was barely hanging together, and yet, no one outside the Hidden Clans had any idea it.
It was all thanks to Hidden Clans.
Weak as humans were, they never gave up.
They had always found a way to survive no matter how ugly the odds became.
They studied Anomalies, trained to fight them, and built Clans to serve as a life of defense against them.
And while the process was slow, Anomaly by Anomaly, they were reclaiming the world.
I glanced at the clock.
"The information I sent and the Rank 2 amulet, they’ll probably verify it by morning."
I should have money in my account by tomorrow afternoon.
...
Lucien POV
Crowshade Headquarters
The hum of the overhead lights never went away, even late at night.
Inside Crowshade’s main building, nestled inside an unremarkable business district on the outskirts of the city, a man sifted through documents with a practiced hand.
His name was Lucien Krail.
He was the manager of the Verification Department, Crowshade Intelligence Division.
Thin lines under his eyes suggested lack of sleep, but he didn’t seem tired. Just irritated.
Another stack of papers landed on his desk.
Lucien rubbed his temples.
"Always more paperwork..."
A knock came at the door.
Before he could respond, the door creaked open and a younger man poked his head in.
"Manager Krail. We’ve received a new anomaly report. I thought you’d want to take a look."
"Did the sender attach proof?" Lucien didn’t look up.
"Uh... no, sir."
"Then throw it out. Why are you even here?"
The assistant cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sir, it’s not the report itself. It’s the identity of the sender."
Lucien paused.
He looked up from his files and narrowed his eyes.
"Show me."
The assistant—Marcus, one of the newer recruits—stepped in and placed a tablet on the desk.
Lucien glanced at it.
...
User Profile
Name: Alan Veritus
Account ID: #U-349128
Class: 3-Star Mage
Supernatural Rank: Rank 0
Age: 16
Blood-Bound: Verified
Status: Normal User
Balance: $0
...
Lucien’s brows drew together.
"This is clearly fake. Who the hell blood-verifies a profile like this to push through a load of nonsense?"
"That’s... that’s the problem, sir. The name seems fake, but everything else seems genuine."
Lucien leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen longer than usual.
"Genuine? This says he is a three-star mage at sixteen. Why not go further and claim he’s the heir to a hidden clan?"
He let out a soft snort.
Earth’s mana levels were terrible.
Outside of alchemic devices or artifact-based mana compression, most mages struggled to even rank up once.
Without access to rare materials or direct hidden clan support, no teenager should be able to hit three-star Mage.
"S-Sir," Marcus began, "there’s more."
"Throw away the information he sent." Lucien waved him off.
"But sir..."
Lucien frowned. He looked at Marcus face.
"Tsk, fine, show me what you want. But it better be worth my time."
"Thank you for the permission, sir!"
Marcus reached into the pouch at his side and pulled out a small, dark case. He flipped it open to reveal an amulet.
Lucien sat forward.
The silver snake coiled around the obsidian sword was unmistakable.
"This is... Daelthorn?"
"Yes, sir. The sender sold it through the courier system today."
Lucien picked up the amulet carefully, running a finger over the ridges.
The finish was clean. The weight was just right.
"It’s a real deal."
He looked at Marcus again, face unreadable now.
"So... either this Alan Veritus is a Daelthorn... or he’s close enough to one to get his hands on something like this."
"Exactly, sir. But there’s more you need to see."
Lucien sighed.
"What is it?"
"The package was sent using a portal."
"...Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, sir. I confirmed it directly with the courier, who received the amulet."
Lucien leaned back slowly and folded his arms.
His fingers tapped against his sleeve.
Artifacts that could create portals were rare.
Only a few major Hidden Clans possessed them. They could only be used by high-profile figures of those Hidden Clans.
"This Alan Veritus..." Lucien spoke slowly, "The name is definitely fake. There is no Veritus Clan. But he is someone who is high in supernatural society. That’s the only way he can use a portal artifact to create a portal."