Chapter 22: The Gift Left Behind by parents!

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The Gift Left Behind by parents!

Nathaniel looked at the remorseful man standing before him and spoke calmly.

"Captain Adrian Cross, the enemy came prepared with strange methods. You can’t take all the blame for what happened today."

"No. A failure of duty is still a failure of duty. There are no excuses."

Captain Cross’s answer was firm.

He turned around to face the crowd, then raised his voice so everyone in the gymnasium could hear him.

"I, Adrian Cross, captain of the Westmere City Guard Team, promise everyone here that we will take full responsibility for this incident!"

"At the same time, I will personally report Nathaniel Beaumont’s extraordinary achievements today to the National Alliance! Every bit of recognition he deserves will be properly recorded. Not a single fraction of his merit will be overlooked!"

When the students heard that Nathaniel’s achievements would be reported to the National Alliance, envy spread through the crowd.

Such recognition could open doors that ordinary Awakened would spend their entire lives struggling to reach.

Nathaniel, however, felt little excitement over titles and public recognition.

He had more important things on his mind.

"Captain Cross, there’s something I find strange."

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, and his expression grew serious.

"My parents, along with Caleb Rowan’s father, are three of Westmere’s strongest guardians. They received emergency deployment orders and went to the Abyss Rift. Information about their deployment should be a top-level military secret, shouldn’t it?"

Captain Cross paused before nodding.

"Of course. An operation involving the Three Pillars is known only to a handful of people at the highest levels of the city administration and military command."

Nathaniel glanced at the corpses of the Lion Syndicate leaders scattered across the gymnasium floor.

"Then how did those bastards from the Lion Syndicate know about it so precisely?"

Boom!

The question struck Captain Cross like a thunderclap.

His expression changed instantly. A cold, murderous light flashed in his eyes.

Nathaniel was right.

The Lion Syndicate had attacked at the exact moment Westmere’s strongest guardians were absent. They had even chosen their targets in advance.

This wasn’t a coincidence.

Unless...

"You mean..."

Captain Cross clenched his teeth, forcing the words out.

"There’s a traitor among our ranks?"

Nathaniel didn’t answer.

He simply looked at the captain in silence.

His expression said enough.

Someone within Westmere’s upper ranks had leaked the deployment information to the Lion Syndicate.

And whoever that traitor was, they almost certainly held a position of considerable authority.

Captain Cross’s fists tightened until his knuckles cracked. His face twisted with anger.

After taking a deep breath, he turned toward Nathaniel and spoke solemnly.

"Nathaniel, don’t worry."

"Even if I have to turn Westmere upside down, I’ll find that ungrateful bastard hiding among us. I will give you and the Three Pillars a proper explanation!"

With that promise, he turned sharply and began issuing orders.

"Team One! Secure the entire scene and preserve all evidence!"

"Team Two! Get the medical team to treat the wounded immediately! Have the psychological support team help the students recover from the shock!"

The Guard Team members moved into action without hesitation.

They were trained professionals, and within moments, they began securing the gymnasium, treating the injured, and organizing the evacuation of those who needed medical attention.

The chaos that had engulfed Westmere No. 1 Academy finally began to subside.

Nathaniel watched the activity for a moment before turning toward Daniel Mercer, who was still standing nearby with a dazed expression.

"Come on. Let’s go."

He patted Daniel on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh! Right!"

Daniel finally snapped out of his daze and hurried after him.

The two walked through the crowd toward the gymnasium gates.

Along the way, teachers and students watched Nathaniel with expressions of awe, admiration, and disbelief.

Some had witnessed him awaken his class only hours earlier.

Now, the same student had killed three terrifying Lion Syndicate leaders and turned a massacre into a victory.

For most of them, the events of this day would remain unforgettable.

But Nathaniel didn’t look back.

He had no intention of wasting the evening basking in other people’s admiration.

There were still things he needed to understand about his new power.

And now, he had another mystery to investigate: the traitor who had exposed his parents’ deployment.

Cedar Heights Estate

As soon as Nathaniel entered the estate, he saw the familiar figure of the elderly housekeeper waiting for him.

The old man had clearly been waiting for quite some time.

Although he hadn’t accompanied Nathaniel to the academy, he had somehow learned that Nathaniel had returned safely. Relief was written all over his wrinkled face.

"Young Master, you’re back."

His voice trembled slightly.

"Thank goodness you’re safe. Thank goodness..."

Nathaniel smiled at him.

"Uncle, I’m sorry for making you worry."

"The young master is strong and fortunate. I’m sure your parents would be relieved to know you’re safe."

The housekeeper straightened his back. His expression then became more serious.

He turned toward a nearby shelf and carefully lifted an exquisitely crafted black-and-gold box with both hands.

The box had a smooth, dark surface, with delicate golden patterns running along its edges. A faint sheen moved across the material whenever it caught the light.

Even at a glance, it was clear that the box was no ordinary object.

"Young Master, your father and mother specifically instructed me to keep this safe before they left Westmere."

He presented the box to Nathaniel with great care.

"They told me it was a gift for your class awakening. No matter what class you awakened, they believed this gift would be of help to you."

Nathaniel’s expression softened.

A gift from his parents.

He accepted the box, feeling its cool, solid weight in his hands.

"Mom and Dad left this for me..."

A trace of anticipation rose within him.

He carefully opened the clasp.

Click.

The lid lifted.

There was no dazzling burst of light or extraordinary phenomenon. Inside the box lay a single card.

It looked as though it had been carved from a flawless crystal. Colorful light shimmered across its surface, giving it an almost dreamlike appearance.

Nathaniel picked it up.

A panel of information immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Item: Equipment Upgrade Card (Special)]

[Grade: None]

[Effect: Designate one piece of equipment below Diamond Grade. Upon use, the equipment’s grade will unconditionally increase by one major tier while retaining its original characteristics and strengthening its attributes.]

[Description: Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. This is the power of rules.]

[Uses Remaining: 1/1]

Nathaniel’s pupils contracted slightly as he read the description.

An unconditional increase of one major equipment grade!

That was an extraordinary effect.

In this world, the difference between equipment grades could be enormous. A single upgrade could transform an ordinary piece of equipment into something far more valuable and powerful.

And this card didn’t simply raise the grade.

It preserved the equipment’s original characteristics while strengthening its attributes.

In other words, the more suitable the equipment was for its owner, the greater the potential value of the upgrade.

"Now this is something good."

Nathaniel took a slow breath and carefully put the card away.

He looked at the old housekeeper and smiled.

"Thank you, Uncle. I really like it."

The housekeeper’s face brightened.

"Your parents chose it personally. I’m glad it suits you."

Nathaniel nodded before heading upstairs to his room.

Once inside, he closed and locked the door, then sat down on the large bed.

He reached for his left hand and removed the Ring of the Eternal Shade from his index finger.

This ring had already saved his life once today.

Its Umbral Aegis had withstood the terrifying attack of the Lion Syndicate assassin, protecting him when even his own strength might not have been enough.

But the ring was currently only Gold Grade.

And now, he possessed a way to improve it.

Nathaniel examined the ring in his palm.

"If this were any other piece of equipment, I might hesitate. But this ring’s ability is exactly what I need."

His offensive power was already frightening.

Shadow Execution could inflict devastating True Damage, allowing him to kill enemies whose defenses would otherwise be almost impossible to overcome.

However, overwhelming attack power didn’t mean he was invulnerable.

Against an enemy capable of striking before he could react, a reliable defensive ability could mean the difference between life and death.

The ring’s protective barrier was precisely the kind of safeguard he needed.

Nathaniel picked up the Equipment Upgrade Card with his other hand.

"Let’s see how much stronger you can become."

He focused his attention on the card and silently issued the command.

Upgrade.

Hum!

The crystal card immediately began to glow.

In the next instant, it shattered into countless luminous runes. The runes swirled through the air before rushing toward the dark ring in Nathaniel’s palm.

The ring trembled as it absorbed the mysterious energy.

Its surface began to transform.

The patterns around its dark-gold setting became more intricate, spreading into delicate designs that seemed to move beneath the surface. The central structure grew clearer and more refined, while a diamond-like crystal gradually took shape within the setting.

A brilliant glow radiated from the ring.

For several seconds, the light filled the room.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it faded.

A transformed ring rested in Nathaniel’s palm.

It no longer looked understated or ordinary. Its refined design carried an unmistakable sense of strength, as though the ring had become something far more substantial than its appearance suggested.

Nathaniel immediately checked its attributes.

[Item: Ring of the Eternal Shade (Diamond Grade)]

[Slot: Finger]

[Attributes: All Attributes +50]

[Active Skill: Umbral Aegis]

[Effect: Consumes 10,000 Shadow Energy to generate an absolute shadow barrier lasting 1 second. The barrier possesses 1,000,000 defense.]

[Cooldown: 24 hours]

Nathaniel stared at the updated panel.

"All attributes increased by fifty..."

His eyes moved to the skill description.

The ring’s defensive ability remained intact, but its grade had risen from Gold to Diamond, and it now granted a substantial boost to all his attributes.

That alone made the upgrade worthwhile.

The most valuable part, however, was still Umbral Aegis.

A barrier with one million defense was an incredible defensive asset. Even if its duration was extremely short, a single second could be enough to withstand a lethal attack.

And in a battle between powerful Awakened, a single second could decide everything.

Nathaniel slipped the upgraded ring back onto his left index finger.

The dark crystal caught the light for a moment before settling into a quiet, almost seamless gleam.

His parents had left him this gift without knowing exactly what class he would awaken.

Yet somehow, it had turned out to be precisely what he needed.

Nathaniel looked down at the ring, his thoughts drifting toward the two people who had left Westmere to face danger at the Abyss Rift.

"Mom, Dad..."

His voice was quiet.

"I’ll make good use of it."

He closed his hand around the ring.

The Lion Syndicate’s attack had shown him how dangerous this world could be, even within the walls of a city protected by powerful guardians.

He had survived today.

But next time, he intended to be even better prepared.