SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will

Chapter 264  Meeting The Association Representatives

The way the Ascender was making Association officials wait was both impressive and slightly concerning.

Tom’s grin widened as he sensed Moon’s attention. “They can cool their heels for a bit longer. Besides, I’ll be coming with you to make sure they don’t try anything too pushy.”

“Master, they do appear rather… urgent about the matter.”

“Just do what I told you,” Tom waved his hands in dismissal.

“Yes, Master,” the butler replied, nodding slightly before gently closing the door behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, Moon, Tom, and Kael walked out from the cabin together, making their way to the orbital’s central lobby where the Association representatives waited.

The space was luxuriously appointed—comfortable seating, exotic fruits and panoramic windows showing the city sprawling below.

Two individuals rose as they approached: a man in his forties with sharp, intelligent eyes, and a woman of similar age with similar bearing.

“Mr. Outlaw? It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” the male representative said, extending his hand. “I’m Rock, a manager in the Research Bureau from the Association, and this is my colleague Tara, a Director of Gate Analysis.”

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Outlaw, your accomplishment today has ramifications that extend far beyond what most people realize. It’s a step towards a brighter future for humanity.

“Likewise,” Moon responded simply, accepting Rock’s handshake before taking a seat across from them.

Both Evolvers glanced at each other, then at Tom who settled into a chair as well, his presence clearly making them slightly nervous despite their official authority.

“Mr. Outlaw,” Rock began formally, “as you’re undoubtedly aware, your team achieved an unprecedented success clearing the first ever S-Rank gate, thereby saving millions of lives and preventing catastrophic infrastructure damage. First and foremost, the Association wants to express our profound gratitude for your courage and power.”

He paused, consulting a tablet.

“To recognize this extraordinary service, the Association has authorized a clearing bonus of fifteen million dollars per participant. The funds have already been deposited to your awakener accounts. For the families of the three team members who didn’t make it out, their portions will be transferred to their designated beneficiaries.”

Moon calculated quickly. ‘That’s 150 million total for ten people. Honestly not much considering we probably saved them billions or trillions in repair costs, potential casualties, economic disruption. But then again, we volunteered for this mission, and we made substantial money from the cores and materials inside. The math is reasonable.’

“The rewards are also ready for immediate access,” Tara continued. “To avoid delaying your recovery time unnecessarily, we have just a few critical questions about what occurred inside the gate. Could you walk us through the events as you experienced them?”

Moon nodded and began narrating the mission from beginning to end—the tablets, the ten gates, the decision to split up, the deaths of teammates, the fox’s illusions. He provided comprehensive detail while carefully omitting the parts his team hadn’t witnessed: his solo kills like the poison toad, his use of Mirage, his rune preparations, and other capabilities he’d kept hidden.

Both representatives listened intently, occasionally taking notes, nodding at the familiar story they had heard from the others they had already interviewed.

Until they reached the crucial part.

“What exactly happened after you entered the final crimson gate that appeared? According to your teammates, they lost consciousness at some point during that phase, including young Mr. Glassy here.” Tara’s tone sharpened.

She looked at Kael, who confirmed he remembered nothing after entering the crimson portal.

“That’s where the situation becomes… complicated,” Moon said carefully.

The fox’s illusions, the Supreme classification, the Super Lives, his inherited title—all of that was information that could alter how the Association viewed him and the world itself.

Information that might be more dangerous to share than to conceal.

“I remember entering the crimson gate and then… fragments,” Moon said, which was technically true. “Everything became confused, disorienting. I recall fighting something, but the details are hazy. When I regained full awareness, the chamber was collapsing and everyone was unconscious. I managed to get everyone out before the structure completely failed.”

It was a careful balance of truth and omission, providing enough detail to satisfy their immediate questions while protecting the secrets that could change everything.

Rock and Tara exchanged meaningful glances, barely masking the frustration of hitting the expected wall.

Moon’s expression remained carefully neutral despite the spike of alarm racing through his chest.

“Is that all? You don’t remember anything else of significance?” Rock pressed.

“Yes, It was complete chaos, and I was entirely focused on survival and getting everyone out safely. I do vaguely remember seeing my teammates standing around me with hollow, unresponsive eyes at some point, but everything else is fragmented.”

“Of course! We completely understand that the situation was traumatic and disorienting. We do have a colleague who specializes in memory extraction techniques. They could safely access your memories from the past twenty-four hours, which would allow us to reconstruct exactly what occurred in that final chamber. That’s a good option, don’t you think, rock?” Tara said, looking at her colleague.

“Of course, it’s always a good option to do so.”

Before Moon could formulate a response, a suffocating aura suddenly erupted from Tom’s position.

The pressure filled the entire lobby instantly, making every person present shudder involuntarily despite the aura carrying no explicitly malicious intent. It was simply the overwhelming presence of an Ascender whose patience had been exhausted.

“What did you just say?!” Tom’s voice had dropped to a temperature that seemed capable of freezing bone marrow, his eyes boring into the soul of both representatives at once.

Despite being powerful Evolvers on the verge of achieving Surpasser status themselves, both Rock and Tara couldn’t help but swallow reflexively as their mouths went dry under that terrible scrutiny.

“S-Sir, this was merely a suggestion, and we were naturally prepared to provide a compensation—an additional fifty million dollars—for Mr. Outlaw’s cooperation. We fully understand that such procedures are invasive of personal privacy.” Rock immediately tried to explain.

‘Damn it, he is defending the boy. Is Tom Glassy taking him under his wing…?!’ Rock thought internally.