SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will

Chapter 269  The Crimson Wasteland, and More

Moon continued speaking with Tom, asking about matters that would benefit him in completing his evolution tasks.

“Before I leave, could you tell me about the most dangerous territories in the First Sanctuary? Areas known for housing powerful S-rank beasts?”

Tom leaned back thoughtfully, accessing memories from his own time as an awakener decades ago.

“Let’s see… there’s the Crimson Wasteland—that place is crawling with S-rank creatures. The Frozen Depths. Then there’s the Jeju Swamps, they all house powerful beasts ranging from A-Rank to S-Rank.

He paused, considering.

“The Skyreach Peaks is also a dangerous place, and based on the high mortality rate it most likely houses S-Rank Aerial beasts that most ground-based awakeners can’t even reach, let alone fight effectively.”

Tom gestured dismissively.

“Those are the ones I remember clearly from my time. There are probably other dangerous zones that have been discovered since then, or areas I never had reason to visit. But you can ask Kael for more current information—he keeps up with that kind of intelligence for his own advancement planning.”

He patted his son’s shoulder affectionately.

“Alright, kids, I need to get going. I have meetings that can’t be postponed indefinitely. Kael, take care of Moon and make sure he gets dropped off wherever he needs to go. There are many eyes on him, and I will also make sure to announce the start of his affiliation soon to ward off some of them.”

Tom proceeded to leave the main lobby, his footsteps echoing as he headed toward whatever urgent business awaited his attention.

“Come with me,” Kael said calmly once his father had departed. “I’ll get you back to wherever you need to be.”

Moon provided his apartment address, and they began walking through the orbital’s corridors until they arrived at what appeared to be a vehicle bay housed within the larger ship.

The space contained numerous smaller orbitals designed for two, three or more passengers, lacking the luxurious appointments of the main vessel but still clearly expensive due to their advanced propulsion systems that allowed flight.

Inside the compact orbital, sitting beside Kael as they prepared for departure, Moon found his eyes drawn to the sky visible through the windows.

“Are you not going to ask what really happened inside the gate?” Moon asked directly.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Kael was quiet for a moment, “Because if you’d wanted to share what actually occurred, you would have said so already. The fact that you held back details means you have reasons for keeping certain information private.”

He adjusted their flight path slightly.

Moon nodded his head, “But your father is an Ascender, and we were in the middle of his personal orbital where no one could have interfered or witnessed anything.”

Kael shook his head, “You are wrong, whether we like it or not, you saved my life in that gate. Not just mine, but everyone who survived. Beyond that, I was the one who invited you to join the expedition in the first place, which means I share responsibility for what you experienced.”

His expression became more serious.

“We return good with good, and evil with evil. That’s how our family operates, how we maintain relationships and honor. You’ve shown nothing but competence since I’ve known you. Now you’re even working with our organization officially.”

Kael glanced at Moon briefly. “Pressing you for secrets you’re not ready to share would be returning your good actions with suspicion and violation of trust. That’s not how we treat people who’ve proven themselves.”

“I see,” Moon replied, his lips curving into a brief smile.

It was refreshing to work with someone who understood the value of reciprocal respect.

The orbital continued its smooth flight toward Moon’s apartment.

♢♢♢♢

Arriving at the orbital station near his residential district, Moon told Kael to drop him off there rather than attempting to land directly at his apartment building.

His apartment complex didn’t have designated landing facilities for private aircraft, and jumping from orbitals without proper authorization was considered a serious legal violation that could result in fines or detention.

Unlike Tom, who possessed the authority and influence to bend such regulations when convenient, Moon was still bound by standard civilian restrictions. And with the Association already viewing him with suspicion after his evasive debriefing, he decided it was wiser to handle his return through completely legal channels.

It didn’t take Moon long to walk from the transit station to his apartment building and climb the stairs to his floor.

Knowing that Yara and Selene were expected to be waiting inside, he knocked politely and announced his presence before using his key to enter.

As he closed the door behind him, Moon found Yara immediately getting up from the couch and rushing toward him with obvious relief and joy.

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight, spontaneous hug.

Moon’s eyes widened with surprise for a moment as he processed this unexpected display of physical affection. He still vividly remembered the incident when he’d grabbed Yara’s wrist during their early interactions, and how extremely shy and flustered she’d become over such minimal contact.

Yet here she was, initiating a full embrace without any hesitation or embarrassment.

“I’m so glad to see you safe again,” she whispered against his shoulder before stepping back and releasing the hug.

Moon nodded, touched by her concern despite his slight surprise at her boldness. “Thank you for worrying about me. Where is Selene, by the way?” He asked, glancing around the apartment and noting her absence.

“About that…” Yara’s expression grew more complicated as she began recounting everything that had occurred.

She narrated their experience from the moment they’d seen Moon emerge from the gate on television coverage, through their journey to Zone C, their disappointment at discovering he’d already left with Tom, their decision to celebrate with cake, the confrontation with the entitled young awakener, and finally Alaric’s intervention.

‘Her brother is almost certainly a Surpasser,’ Moon thought as Yara described the scene. ‘To strike fear into the hearts of dozens of Evolvers and completely humiliate an awakener from a family with a soon to be Surpasser-level backing requires power that goes beyond that.’

***

GT Ranking Last Month: Top 5 (20 Chapters Mass Release Complete)

Let’s try hit a high ranking this month for another mass release!