Chapter 203: An Unexpected Invitation

Serath slowly continued.

"You were an Unranked human, yet you killed a 2nd Echelon being."

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"And according to the System, nobody recorded across the entire Universe had ever accomplished that before."

Ron turned toward Cain with a strange expression.

Cain ignored him.

Serath’s voice became more serious.

"Do you understand now?"

"Your announcement wasn’t merely telling people that a talented human had appeared."

"It announced to the entire Universe that someone had accomplished something that nobody had ever done before."

Cain looked at him calmly.

"So everyone became interested because of it."

"Of course."

Serath seemed genuinely surprised that the answer even needed to be explained.

"Wouldn’t you?"

Cain had to admit that he would.

If the System suddenly announced that someone somewhere in the Universe had accomplished something considered impossible throughout recorded history, Cain would naturally want to know who that person was.

However, Ron seemed to focus on something else as he asked a question.

"Does that mean he’s the strongest being within the same rank since he accomplished something nobody else had ever done?"

"So far, among the Unranked? Yes." Serath replied with a smile as he looked at Cain.

Then he continued with a chuckle.

"But that doesn’t mean he’ll remain the strongest being within the same rank forever, since talents develop differently and some reveal extraordinary abilities early, while the others might appear unimpressive until their owner reaches a certain Echelon."

Cain immediately understood.

Black Menagerie itself was a perfect example.

Only one beast had been unlocked so far, and Cain still had no idea what the next one would be or what new abilities would come with it.

Someone else could possess a Talent whose greatest abilities remained dormant until much later.

Serath continued.

"Someone weaker than you during the Unranked stage could awaken something extraordinary after reaching the 1st Echelon."

"The opposite can happen as well."

"So yeah..."

Serath smiled slightly.

"His achievement does not prove that you will always be the strongest being within the same Echelon."

Cain’s lips curved upward.

"But I was the first person to do it."

"Yes."

Serath’s expression became slightly more serious.

"And that’s exactly what everyone cares about."

Cain naturally understood it.

Potential.

What he had accomplished proved there was something unusual about him even if it did not guarantee anything about his future in becoming the strongest being in the whole Universe.

To ordinary people, that might only be interesting.

But to beings whose strength Cain could not even properly imagine yet, someone who accomplished something unprecedented across the entire Universe was naturally worth paying attention to.

Serath confirmed that thought a moment later.

"To the point that even some of the old monsters have started paying attention to you."

Cain’s eyes narrowed.

Serath laughed when he saw his reaction.

"Now you finally understand that the things you’ve done aren’t as simple as you thought."

Cain ignored the remark.

Instead, he asked with a trace of wariness in his voice.

"What kind of old monsters?"

"Who knows?" Serath merely shrugged.

Tch!

Cain clicked his tongue.

Serath smiled.

"Consider that free advice."

His expression became more serious.

"The next time you trigger another World Announcement, or even another Universal Announcement, don’t assume everyone reading your name is merely a harmless spectator."

Cain stored that warning deeply within his mind.

He did not become afraid, but pretending it meant nothing would be stupid.

Earth was currently struggling against a force inside a single Invasion Corridor.

Meanwhile, somewhere beyond their world existed beings powerful enough that even Serath, the Youngest Prince of the Zombie Race, casually referred to them as old monsters.

The difference between humanity’s current strength and the established forces of the Main World was already difficult to imagine.

Those old monsters were probably on an entirely different level.

Cain pushed the thought aside for now.

"What about the Zombie Race?"

Serath looked at him and stayed silent for a moment.

"You said everyone noticed the announcement. Is that why you’re here?"

The Youngest Prince finally responded.

"Partly."

That answer caused Cain’s expression to sharpen.

Serath did not hide it.

"The upper ranks of the Zombie Race naturally noticed your name like everyone else."

"Later, we learned that the person with the title of Heavenly Dragon belonged to the same world connected through Corridor 73-A."

Cain nodded in understanding.

"That’s why you’re here."

Serath nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, since I was partly curious considering you have a Dragon in your title."

Cain raised an eyebrow, as he naturally understood why this bastard became interested because of the Dragon title.

"That’s partly why I came here personally."

His smile faded slightly.

"I wanted to see for myself what kind of person had caused so much disturbance."

Before Cain could respond, disappointment appeared in Serath’s expression again.

"Unfortunately, you’re weaker than I expected."

Ron’s eyes twitched when he heard it.

Cain chuckled lightly instead of being offended.

"You’re comparing a 1st Echelon to a 3rd Echelon."

Serath shrugged without the slightest shame.

Cain laughed heartily.

For a brief period, neither side made their first move.

The atmosphere between the two groups remained tense, yet strangely calm.

Behind Cain, the remaining humans continued their work.

The last surviving defenders near the entrance were killed.

The nearby corpses were moved away from the main battlefield as Cain had instructed earlier after discovering Serath’s Nether Devouring.

Sonya and several people capable of producing flames dealt with the bodies that could not be moved quickly.

Serath saw everything, yet he had no intention to stop them.

Instead, he looked at Cain again.

Then his expression changed as the amusement became more deliberate.

"Cain."

Hearing his actual name caused Cain’s eyes to narrow slightly.

Serath extended one hand toward him.

"Become my right hand."

The surrounding immediately became silent.

Even Cain needed a moment to process what he had just heard.

Ron slowly turned his head toward him.

Viktor looked at Serath as if he was trying to determine whether the prince had suddenly lost his mind.

Several people farther behind stopped moving as disbelief expressions were written across their faces.