Chapter 60: The protagonist??

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The protagonist??

Inside a dark, dimly lit chamber stood a grand throne. Seated upon it was a shadowy figure—the high-ranking cultist known as Number 01. He rested his chin on his knuckles, his gaze fixed on a long table lined with glowing communication orbs.

"The mission was a failure. Every target examinee was saved, and our infiltration forces have been completely wiped out," a seductive, feminine voice reported, echoing from one of the translucent spheres. "Initial intelligence reports emerging from the academy claim that a blurry, dark silhouettes intercepted our forces, slaughtered them, and vanished without a trace."

"Blurry silhouettes?" Number 01 questioned, his finger tapping a slow, rhythmic pattern against the armrest of his throne. "Did the academy have covert guardians stationed on the island beforehand? Or did they catch wind of our strike ahead of schedule?"

"No. There were no hidden guardians, nor did they possess any advanced warning," the female voice replied, her words casting a wave of visible confusion and unease over the other hidden listeners. "My source confirms the faculty was completely blindsided by the breach. Even now, they are entirely clueless regarding the origin of the entities that protected the students."

To her left, a separate, enraged voice barked from a neighboring orb. "If it wasn’t an official academy vanguard, then who is responsible?! Who possesses the coordination to dismantle our force so swiftly?"

A heavy silence blankets the chamber before the female speaker resumed her report. "We have yet to uncover their identity. We deployed several high-tier assets—the weakest being at C-rank cultivation. The primary vanguard commander was an SS-rank warrior cultivator.... and his carcass was discovered compressed into a mangled sphere of meat inside a hidden cave."

Hearing her grim disclosure, the entire room fell dead silent. Everyone present could easily deduce what kind of entity possessed the specific power to condense an elite SS-rank cultivator into a bloody sphere of flesh. There were very few ways capable of such a feat, but one particular power came to mind instantly.

"A Soul Master, huh? Is it her doing... Number 05?" Number 01 asked, a cruel smile pulling at his lips beneath his deep hood.

"No, it was not the Headmistress. She was verified elsewhere at the time of the event," the female voice clarified, deepening the unease in the room. "While it remains highly probable that one of her disciples intervened, it still fails to explain the synchronized slaughter of the remaining members. The timeline and the respective causes of death simply do not align. Some cultists were skewered by spears, others were sliced to pieces or half. The academy’s investigative teams couldn’t even trace a residual energy signature from the blurry figures."

The revelation left the cult high command deeply shaken. Not only had their meticulously planned assassination attempt been thoroughly crushed, but they were now facing a completely unquantifiable third-party force.

Number 01 spoke up, his ominous voice resonating like a death knell throughout the cavernous room. "Regardless of who is pulling the strings, we will drag them down into the dirt. Number 05, deepen your investigation into this anomaly." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he interlaced his fingers. "Let us proceed directly to the secondary phase of the operation, shall we? We cannot allow any prodigies of this new generation to survive. No matter the cost."

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Whoosh!

Back at the academy, Aeon materialized cleanly near the entrance of a grand, sprawling stadium. He cast a casual gaze over his surroundings.

The entire sector was already swarming with incoming freshmen, though the sheer scale of the stadium ensured that the crowd barely occupied a small portion of its total capacity.

Several students lingering near the arches looked over at Aeon, a few jumping slightly in surprise at his sudden, noiseless appearance.

"Hey, look at that guy over there. I recognize him—he was one of the elites escorted away by the Head Supervisor last night," a nearby student whispered eagerly to his companion.

"Yeah, no kidding," his friend replied, his gaze laced with envy. "He must be using a highly advanced personal teleportation to materialize right at the stadium gates, while the rest of us have to ride the local transit lines and walk all the way from the terminals. I wonder what his exact rank in the exam ranking is. I’m so jealous, man."

Due to his striking, unearthly features, Aeon naturally drew a massive amount of attention. This was particularly true for a group of nearby female students, who were openly staring with visible blushes.

"He’s incredibly handsome! I think i am in love, Kyaah!" an elf girl squealed softly, instinctively clutching her friend’s arm.

"Count me in, girl," her companion whispered back, her eyes sparkling as they glued themselves to Aeon’s silhouette. "I literally cannot look away from his face."

"Aeon!"

Hearing a familiar voice call out from behind, Aeon turned around. Walking a few paces away were Alex and Anastasia, navigating through the crowd together.

"Oh, hello guys," Aeon greeted them. Almost instantly, a wicked, teasing smile spread across his face. "Did you two arrive together? Don’t tell me you’re already sharing the same house."

Alex looked entirely bewildered by the implication, but Anastasia caught Aeon’s meaning instantly. A bright pink flush bloomed across her cheeks as she frantically waved her hands in denial.

"No! No, we didn’t arrive together at all! It was pure coincidence. I actually landed here two minutes ago. I was waiting around for the princess and Sophia to show up, but Alex happened to walk by first. And then we spotted you, and..."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Aeon laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying her frantic breakdown. "I was just messing with you two. Hahaha."

Alex, however, remained entirely stoic, looking between Aeon and Anastasia with a serious, literal expression. "What are you guys even talking about? What she said is completely accurate."

Aeon and Anastasia exchanged a brief glance before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA!"

"What? What is so funny?" Alex asked, his confusion mounting. To him, the entire trajectory of the conversation was completely bizarre.

"Nothing, really. It’s nothing," Aeon chuckled, waving his hand to dismiss the topic. His friend was notoriously dense, remaining blissfully oblivious to anything resembling a romantic hint.

Meanwhile, surrounding students who overheard Alex address him by name froze in collective shock.

Initially, many couldn’t believe they were standing in the presence of the actual Aeon Astaraeas—the number one ranker who had secured perfect marks on the written test and an unprecedented 38,800 points in the combat exam.

Those who recognized him from last night were left completely speechless.

"He really is the top ranker... I heard the top 20 received massive individual rewards. I’d give anything to know what kind of loot they landed," a student muttered, committing Aeon’s face to memory.

Overhearing the ambient whispers, Aeon turned his attention back to Anastasia. "Shall we head inside? I’m certain the princess and Sophia will arrive shortly. We can secure seats for them in the meantime."

Anastasia thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Good idea. Let’s find a good viewing spot."

The group filed through the grand entrance arches, navigating the polished corridors until they emerged into the open-air seating bowl of the stadium.

The structure was massive, framing a lush green central field where a beautifully designed, elevated speaker’s platform stood, arranged with orderly rows of pristine chairs.

Aeon led the way up toward the upper-tier decks to ensure ample space for Elysaria and Sophia later. As they settled in, Aeon scanned the surrounding for awhile, his eyes locking onto two specific individuals.

Both targets belonged to the top 20 rankers—specifically the top 10. One was a girl with dark, crimson hair and sharply pointed ears, while the other was a human youth with neat, dark hair.

One sat a few rows down from his position, while the other occupied a section across the aisle to the left. While there were several other top rankers scattered throughout the venue, these two sat firmly at the peak of his observation list.

They were Leonhardt Arclight and Evelyn Bloodborn, the third and fourth-placed rankers of the examination cycle. More importantly, they were prime candidates for his next bonds.

’System, show me their status windows,’ Aeon commanded mentally. He wasn’t planning on initiating a blind bond just because they occupied high ranks; he needed to verify if their latent traits and underlying abilities were truly worth the investment.

[Yes, Master]

[Name: Leonard Arclight]

[Race: Human]

[Title: The blessed of heavens]

[Path: Warrior]

[Cultivation rank: D+]

[Talent rank: Divine]

[Special Talent: The Heavenly Chosen](Divine-rank)

[Physique: Divine Sword Physique](Divine)

[Bloodline: Heavenly Seraph Bloodline](Divine)

[Affinities: Sword(Divine), Light(Divine), Fire(Ex)]

[Name: Evelyn Bloodborn]

[Race: Royal Vampire]

[Title: -]

[Path: Soul/Spiritual]

[Cultivation rank: D+]

[Talent rank: Divine]

[Special Talent: Divine Genesis of Emotions](Divine-rank)

[Physique: Soul-Devouring DivinePhysique](Divine)

[Bloodline: Blood Sovereign Bloodline](Ex)

[Affinities: Emotions(Divine), Soul(Divine) Blood(Ex)]

Aeon meticulously reviewed the floating panel, his eyes widening slightly under his breath as he processed Leonhardt’s status window.

’What in the world...? He has a Divine rank across every single core attribute except for his fire affinity. Is this guy the literal protagonist of this world? System, pull up the descriptions for Leonhardt’s title, physique, special talent, and bloodline immediately.’

Aeon ordered, completely fascinated by the discovery. Leonhardt had instantly solidified his position as an absolute high-priority bonding target.

[Ding!]

[Title: The Blessed of Heavens]

[Description: A title bestowed upon those favored by the Universe. It signifies an existence blessed with extraordinary fortune and divine favor, whose path is subtly guided toward opportunities, encounters, and breakthroughs beyond the reach of ordinary beings.]

[Special Talent: The Heavenly Chosen](Divine)

[Description: A divine talent bestowed upon those favored by the Heavens. Destiny subtly bends in their favor, granting them extraordinary fortune and opportunities that others could only dream of]

[Effect 1: Heavenly Fortune — Greatly increases luck and the chance of encountering rare opportunities.]

[Effect 2: Fortune’s Guidance — Circumstances naturally tend to guide the user toward beneficial choices and outcomes.]

Effect 3: Blessed Encounters — Greatly increases the chance of encountering powerful experts, rare treasures, inheritances, and secret realms.]

[Effect 4: Heavenly Protection — The Universe subtly protect the user from fatal accidents, calamities, and seemingly unavoidable misfortune.]

[Effect 5: Fortune Through Adversity — Even dangerous situations can transform into opportunities for growth, allowing the user to gain unexpected benefits from hardship.]

[Physique: Divine Sword Physique](Divine)

[Description: A divine physique naturally attuned to the Sword. The user’s body, soul, and consciousness resonate perfectly with sword, granting extraordinary comprehension and allowing them to pursue the path of the Sword with unparalleled efficiency.

Effect 1: Sword Authority — Grants the user powerful authority over sword and its energy, allowing them to suppress weaker sword intents, laws, Authorities and greatly enhance their own sword techniques.]

[Effect 2: Sword Comprehension — Dramatically increases comprehension of sword intent, sword techniques, and sword-related laws, allowing the user to learn and improve techniques at an extraordinary rate]

[ Effecf 3: Sword Body — The user’s body becomes naturally compatible with sword, allowing them to channel immense sword power without suffering damage from their own attacks]

[Bloodline: Heavenly Seraph Bloodline](Divine)

[Description: A bloodline descended from the ancient Seraphim, beings born with profound connection to heavenly and holy power. It grants the bearer immense vitality, powerful holy energy, and natural authority over divine light, allowing them to wield sacred forces far beyond ordinary beings.]

[Effect 1: Seraphic Wings — Manifests a pair of divine wings that greatly enhance flight, speed, and mobility while allowing the user to channel immense heavenly energy.]

[ Effect 2: Heavenly Light — Grants powerful control over sacred light, capable of purifying darkness, curses, and corrupted energy.]

[Effect 3: Divine Regeneration — Grants extraordinary vitality and regeneration, allowing the user to rapidly recover from severe injuries.]

Aeon read through the descriptions, his eyes widening. ’Yep. Definitely the protagonist.’

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Author’s Note:

I’m truly sorry for the recent delay, everyone. I was sick and couldn’t write or update the novel as planned. Thankfully, I’m feeling better now and have returned to writing.

I sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting, and I’m incredibly grateful for your patience and continued support. ❤️🙏