Chapter 81: The Next Morning, Revealing The Truth To Her

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At dawn the following morning, the television in the living room was already turned on and filling the quiet house with its steady noise.

Daniela sat cross-legged on the couch in her pajamas. She had miraculously woken up early today. Perhaps leveling up so much the previous day had left her with a large amount of accumulated energy that refused to let her sleep longer. A bowl of milk and colorful fruit-flavored cereal rested in her lap as her eyes stayed wide, fixed on the screen where the same news looped endlessly.

"—confirmed reports now state that residual energy readings from the closed Gate match no known natural phenomenon. Several independent hunter guilds are calling for Claymore to open their private data logs. In other news, the Frostbane Family has issued a formal statement distancing themselves from any speculation of their involvement—"

"It’s getting bigger..." she muttered under her breath, her hands trembling slightly around the bowl. "Is Riven awake yet?" she wondered aloud.

"Nope," Carlos answered as he walked back into the living room carrying his own bowl of cereal. "Big sis, just what happened yesterday?"

"Um..." Daniela swallowed hard and glanced toward the hallway before lowering her voice. "You promise not to tell anyone?"

"...Ok," Carlos nodded sternly. Even at his age he was good at keeping secrets when it truly mattered.

Daniela cleared her throat and let out a long sigh. "Okay so... Um, Riven... he... he conquered the dungeon, okay? And then he became Gate Lord, and took over... the gate, and closed it."

"?!"

Carlos froze in place. He was still young, yet he was very smart and immediately understood the deep implications of such incredible power.

"R-Really?"

Daniela nodded nervously and sipped at what remained of the milk in her bowl, sighing in relief once the words were finally out. "Phew! Yeah, it’s... It happened."

"...But why? What would he gain from this?" Carlos wondered, his eyes still wide with shock.

"Hm, it’s his plans," Daniela said while reaching into the cereal box and eating a few dry pieces. "He said he’ll re-open the gate, but in his own private property, which he’ll open for anyone to enter. No more privatization. No more entrance fees or anything! He wants to give back the gates to the people, so everyone can grow stronger, not just the rich or wealthy!"

"!!!" Carlos was completely shaken by the idea. "That’s amazing if it’s true..."

Footsteps suddenly echoed from the direction of Riven’s room. He seemed to have finally woken up and was bringing Elisa along with him. She had become unusually chatty this morning and was yapping endlessly while sitting in her wheelchair.

"So you’re going to take a few days off, Riven? We should go outside for a while, what do you think? Um, like a date? I mean, not really a full date but...!"

"Sure, why not? Ah, Daniela, Carlos, you both woke up early, huh?" Riven said as he entered the living room.

"R-Riven! There’s a lot of news about what happened yesterday!" Daniela immediately said, pointing at the television with a worried expression.

"Really?" Riven wondered aloud, his eyes fixed on the television screen. Elisa sat beside him, watching the same broadcast with quiet attention.

A stern-faced analyst in a dark suit appeared on the TV, speaking with measured intensity. "If Gates can now be permanently closed, the entire economic model built around them collapses. Resource scarcity will become inevitable. Power will shift rapidly between the major families. The Hunter Association’s long-standing monopoly on Gate regulation could be challenged overnight. We may be looking at the beginning of a new era... or the start of a new war."

Elisa turned toward Riven, her expression filled with mild confusion. "A gate was closed? Wow, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of something like that. Um, what’s wrong? You look a little nervous."

"..." Riven slowly shook his head. "Well, it’s a lot to take in all at once. I guess... I cannot really keep this hidden from you for too long, can I?"

"Eh?" Elisa tilted her head slightly. "What do you— WOAH?!"

FLUOSH!

Suddenly a huge dimensional portal tore open right in the middle of their living room. Thick waves of dense mana poured out, filling the air with a heavy, electric pressure that made the furniture rattle and the lights flicker.

"R-Riven...!" Elisa gasped, feeling the strong wind packed full of thick mana rushing from the interior of the gate. "What... is this?! It’s... did you do this?!"

Riven nodded calmly. "I have awakened not just a single class, but four Authorities, Elisa. And I plan to use them to change the world... before it’s too late."

"?!"

Riven had finally decided that he could no longer keep hiding the truth from the woman he loved.

♢♢♢♢

Somewhere far across the city, inside the towering glass headquarters of Claymore Enterprises, Arthur Claymore received one final report from his private investigators.

A single line of text glowed brightly on the encrypted tablet in his hands:

[Last registered entries into Dark Cave Labyrinth.]

There, among the many names that did not matter to him, was one he recognized immediately.

[Riven Hale Claymore: E-Rank Hunter]

Arthur’s eyes narrowed sharply. Why would his son, a recently awakened E-Rank Hunter, enter a D-Rank Gate whose third floor could reach as high as C-Rank difficulty?

"Interesting," he murmured under his breath. "Very interesting indeed..."

It just so happened that the security cameras had also captured Riven leaving the gate together with a Pierrot-class girl after everyone else had already exited. There was a clear and noticeable delay between the two of them and the rest of the public groups.

"...What are you hiding, Riven?" Arthur wondered, his gaze growing colder as he narrowed his eyes further. "Your entire life you have lived under your siblings’ thumbs. Yet out of nowhere you awaken and start acting far too suspiciously. Was my son a wolf hidden in sheep’s clothing this entire time? Hahah... Who would have thought?"

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