Chapter 250

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Ray’s boots hit the ground in a steady, rhythmic pace.

Van’s personal workshop was now fading into the distance behind him as he walked with a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

’You know? I realized a lot from reading those online novels back then... investing in your allies always pays off in the long run,’ he mused with a slight smirk.

’If I can get Van to Grade 6 or 7, he would become an absolute menace. That ability of his is crazy special. I’ve never heard of anything like it before—just like my own lightning.’

As the thought formed, however, it suddenly scattered as if a heavy stone had been hurled into a peacefully flowing river.

’... But that’s where the problem lies. I suspect—though I’m not entirely certain—that my lightning ability originated from the book I purchased, which was incinerated when the system fused with me.

With the manual gone, I don’t even know how I’m going to increase my grade or continue to grow stronger.

I’m fortunate enough to be at Grade 5 right now, but what about Van? Since his ability is unheard of, I don’t think there’s a conventional way to help increase his strength aside from absorbing beast cores.’

He had long since exited the building where the tech rooms were located.

Now, he stood in the vast open yard of the Corps, where a web of different paths lay before him, each leading to a different sector of the facility.

’... At some point, he will hit the limit of what his body can absorb from cores. What happens next? How will he grow further? Ah... this is indeed a hassle and a thorn I’ll eventually have to pluck. Но how?’

Scratching his chin thoughtfully, he came to a halt and began scanning his surroundings, wondering what his next move should be.

He had distributed the credits he earned to Trisha and Chloe and bought the necessary cores for Van, so what remained?

He hadn’t given Felix anything.

Why should he?

It didn’t seem like the werewolf required assistance at all; after all, he was the one who had voted for Ray to take the cores in the first place.

Caster, as he had mentioned, didn’t need to absorb more, and he likely had more money than he could ever count.

And Kai...

.... Well, what did that handsome bastard possibly need money or beast cores for?

Taking in a deep breath, Ray forced himself to calm down. ’Oh well, let me just return to my room and rest befo—’

His train of thought was violently interrupted by a loud, piercing beeping sound emanating from his watch.

He paused. Froze.

He looked down at the device, lifting his wrist to his face as he realized it was an urgent incoming message.

Simultaneously, he sensed the other Aspirants in the vicinity halt abruptly.

It seemed the entire base was experiencing the same beeping phenomenon.

Before Ray could even decide how to react, a recorded message began playing loudly and clearly, the words echoing all around him as they broadcasted from dozens of nearby watches at once.

"Aspirants! This is Sergeant Lincoln speaking. I want each and every one of you—whether you are in Class A or Class B—to file out onto the field immediately! This is an emergency. I need every single Aspirant now. I repeat: it is an emergency!"

The message cut off, leaving Ray stumped.

’An—an emergency? What could have happened? Is it an Aberrant attack?’

He could sense the hesitation rippling through the other students, but one voice nearby snapped them back to reality, urging them to hurry if the Sergeant sounded that desperate.

Ray followed suit, dashing in the direction of the main field where they usually held their morning physical drills and afternoon gear training.

With his enhanced speed, it didn’t take long for him to reach the destination.

And boy, were there a lot of Aspirants gathered on the field.

All four hundred-plus teens were present, with more joining every second.

Using his keen sense of smell, Ray managed to locate Felix and Kai standing side by side.

He rushed to their flank.

A minute later, a panting Van ran onto the field just in time and located the group.

"Guess we all got the same message," Van uttered, his eyes scanning the growing crowd.

More and more Aspirants trickled in.

For now, the Sergeant was nowhere to be seen, leaving the teens to chat nervously amongst themselves as they tried to piece together what this "emergency" could possibly be.

So many theories were flying around the crowd, and each one only served to worry the students even more.

’What is so urgent that he had to broadcast that message to every single soul on base?’ Ray wondered, his mind racing through the worst-case scenarios.

Within five minutes, Sergeant Lincoln could be seen walking onto the field with hurried, heavy steps.

A look of sheer panic resided on his face, and thick beads of sweat clung to his features—which he hastily wiped away with a trembling hand.

Standing at the very forefront of the assembled Aspirants, the earth beneath his feet suddenly surged and shifted.

The ground moved upward with him on it, forming an immensely high platform of rock and soil.

This elevation allowed every single student to see him clearly, even from the far back, and ensured his voice would carry if the crowd remained quiet enough.

— Sergeant!

All the Aspirants saluted in unison, the sound of their hands hitting their chests echoing across the yard.

But Lincoln wasn’t in the mood for formalities or pleasantries at all.

"No time for that right now! There’s an issue at this very moment that requires our urgent and absolute attention."

’Well? What is it? That’s exactly why we are standing here,’ Ray thought, the suspense gnawing at him.

"... This has never happened before, and it saddens me deeply that it is occurring right now as we speak. The terror we never wanted humanity to feel... they are feeling it at this very second."

’I guess I’m right. It’s an Aberrant attack.’ Ray clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His eyes narrowed into slits at the mere thought of those blasted, ape-like creatures that had already taken so much.

Wiping the remaining sweat off his face with a frantic motion, Lincoln continued, his voice cracking with the weight of the news.

"The situation we have on our hands is a Tier 2 Gate Break. Yes! There is a gate break occurring in the middle of a populated city, and deadly Advanced-rank beasts have flooded out, plunging the streets into absolute chaos!"

’Uh... What?!’ Ray’s heart skipped a beat.

Every single person on that field felt their eyes widen in genuine horror, shock, and most especially, visceral surprise.