Chapter 23: Reporting the Information!

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Reporting the Information!

"Hiss..."

The moment Nathaniel saw the upgraded ring’s attributes, he couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

Powerful!

Far more powerful than before!

The equipment upgrade had increased the ring’s grade from Gold to Diamond while preserving its original ability.

And the effect was remarkable.

The ring now granted a bonus of fifty points to all attributes, providing Nathaniel with another boost to his already terrifying strength.

However, its most valuable feature remained its defensive ability.

A barrier with one million defense.

Even against powerful enemies, such protection could mean the difference between life and death.

Nathaniel examined the description once more.

The activation cost was high, and the barrier lasted only one second. Its twenty-four-hour cooldown also meant he couldn’t rely on it repeatedly during a prolonged battle.

Still, the fight against the Lion Syndicate had taught him something important.

Overwhelming offensive power didn’t guarantee survival.

Sometimes, a single well-timed defensive skill was all that stood between victory and death.

"Not bad at all."

Nathaniel slipped the Ring of the Eternal Shade back onto his left index finger. The dark crystal glimmered faintly.

With this additional protection, he felt considerably more confident about facing powerful enemies in the future.

After putting the equipment away, he leaned back against the headboard.

The room grew quiet.

And once the noise of the day finally faded, he began thinking about his parents.

So much had happened.

He had awakened the God of Shadows class, received an SSS-Rank evaluation, and killed three powerful Lion Syndicate leaders who had threatened everyone at his academy.

Captain Adrian Cross had even promised to report his achievements to the Aurelian Alliance.

Yet, despite all those accomplishments, there was only one thing Nathaniel truly wanted at that moment.

To tell his parents what had happened.

"I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing right now."

He picked up his phone and skillfully dialed the encrypted number reserved for family communications.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

The monotonous ringing filled the room.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

Nathaniel waited patiently.

But no one answered.

Eventually, the call disconnected automatically.

He stared at the dimming screen, a slight frown forming between his brows.

"Are they still busy?"

Earlier that morning, during the awakening ceremony, his father had answered his call and transferred money to him.

Since then, there had been no further contact.

Nathaniel understood that his parents had important responsibilities. As members of the Three Pillars, they were among the most powerful guardians protecting humanity, and their deployment to the Abyss Rift was no ordinary mission.

Even so, the silence bothered him.

After the Lion Syndicate’s attack, the entire city would have been thrown into an uproar. The Guard Team would certainly report such a serious incident through the proper channels.

His parents should have heard something by now.

Unless...

"They must be in an area where communications are blocked."

Nathaniel offered himself that explanation and pushed down the uneasiness rising in his chest.

His parents had faced countless dangers over the years.

They would be fine.

At least, that was what he wanted to believe.

He placed the phone beside him and looked toward the ceiling.

For now, all he could do was wait.

Westmere City Guard Command Center

At the same time, inside the Westmere City Guard Command Center, Captain Adrian Cross sat in his office with a pale-blue encrypted screen floating before him.

Displayed on the screen was the report he had prepared about Nathaniel.

[Name: Nathaniel Beaumont]

[Age: 18]

[Awakened Class: God of Shadows]

[Novice Secret Realm Record: Cleared 15 Waves]

[Final Evaluation: SSS-Rank]

[Time Taken: 1 Minute 17 Seconds]

[Special Combat Record: Killed Three Level 100+ Leaders of the Lion Syndicate]

[Detailed Process: ...]

Captain Cross’s gaze lingered on the final achievement.

Even after personally witnessing the aftermath of the battle, he still found the information difficult to believe.

It was simply absurd.

If he hadn’t visited Westmere No. 1 Academy himself, seen the corpses of the three Lion Syndicate leaders, and personally heard the testimonies of the principal and vice principal, he would have assumed someone had submitted a fabricated report.

A newly awakened student had killed three enemies above Level 100.

One of them had even been a Level 115 powerhouse.

And Nathaniel had done it while protecting the people around him.

The more Captain Cross thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

He took a deep breath and tapped the confirmation button on the screen.

[Confirm submission to Aurelian Alliance Guard Team Headquarters?]

[Confirm.]

Hum!

The encrypted data immediately transformed into a stream of light and traveled through the highest-security military communication channel toward the Aurelian Alliance Guard Team Headquarters.

The report had officially been submitted.

Captain Cross leaned back in his chair and released a long breath.

The deputy captain, who had been standing nearby, finally gave voice to the question that had been bothering him.

"Captain, judging from the abilities Nathaniel displayed today, does he even need to take the National College Entrance Examination?"

Captain Cross glanced at him.

The deputy captain swallowed, his eyes still filled with disbelief.

"Think about it. If his combat record becomes public, won’t every major class-transfer academy in the country fight to recruit him?"

Captain Cross remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Most likely."

He looked back at Nathaniel’s report.

"I’m not even sure the ordinary recruitment process applies to someone like him. The Five Top Academies may offer him direct admission."

The deputy captain sucked in a sharp breath.

"The Five Top Academies..."

Those words alone seemed to change the atmosphere in the office.

They represented the highest level of education and training available to Awakened professionals in the Aurelian Alliance.

The five institutions were:

Calder Academy

Westbridge Academy

Meridian Academy

Northgate Academy

St. Orlan Academy

To countless professionals, these institutions were the ultimate dream.

For an ordinary student, entering a respected regional class-transfer academy was already a tremendous achievement.

Those who gained admission to a first-class national academy were widely recognized as geniuses.

But the Five Top Academies?

They belonged to an entirely different world.

The students admitted there were among the most exceptional talents in the entire alliance. Many were expected to become the future guardians of humanity, fighting at the Abyss Rift and defending the nation’s borders against terrifying creatures.

Every year, tens of millions of Awakened candidates competed for academy admission.

Only a small fraction could enter one of the Five Top Academies.

Every successful applicant was a remarkable talent who had distinguished themselves among countless competitors.

The deputy captain stared into the distance, momentarily lost in his imagination.

"That’s the dream of every professional..."

He sighed.

"If I’d managed to enter one of those academies back then, even if I’d only been qualified to sweep the floors, my father would probably have added an entire page about me to our family genealogy."

Captain Cross gave him a flat look.

"Stop dreaming. Even the people responsible for cleaning those academies are probably high-level professionals."

The deputy captain fell silent.

"...You didn’t have to crush my dreams that thoroughly."

Captain Cross ignored the complaint and returned his attention to the screen.

A complicated expression crossed his face.

Was he envious?

Of course he was.

Every professional had once dreamed of reaching the pinnacle of their field.

Captain Cross had been no exception.

But reality was never so simple.

Talent, class, resources, combat experience, and achievements all mattered. Without exceptional ability, even the most determined individual might never reach the highest level.

Nathaniel’s parents were perfect examples.

Nathan Beaumont and Eleanor Beaumont had once been regarded as once-in-a-century talents in Westmere. Their abilities and accomplishments had earned them enormous respect.

Yet even they hadn’t entered any of the Five Top Academies.

They had attended a first-class class-transfer academy instead, an achievement that was already beyond the reach of most professionals.

But now, their son had accomplished something neither of them had managed.

And he had done so immediately after awakening his class.

Captain Cross rubbed his forehead and let out a helpless laugh.

"That boy is even more monstrous than his parents."

The deputy captain was about to agree when something interrupted them.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

A sharp ringing sound suddenly filled the office.

Captain Cross’s expression changed.

The red encrypted communicator on his desk wasn’t used for ordinary calls. It was reserved for emergencies of the highest classification.

If it rang, something serious had happened.

He immediately picked it up.

"This is Captain Adrian Cross."

A low, hoarse voice came from the other end.

Captain Cross listened.

At first, his expression was merely serious.

Then, after hearing a few sentences, his face suddenly froze.

The color drained from his cheeks.

He stopped moving altogether, as though the words coming through the communicator had turned him into a statue.

The deputy captain immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Captain? What’s happened?"

Captain Cross didn’t answer.

His fingers tightened around the communicator until his knuckles turned white. His lips trembled slightly, but no words came out.

The deputy captain had served under him for years.

He had seen the captain furious, exhausted, and even wounded.

But he had never seen him like this.

This wasn’t ordinary shock.

It wasn’t anger.

It was fear.

The kind of fear that came when someone learned that a disaster had occurred on a scale far beyond anything they had imagined.

Several seconds passed.

Then the call ended.

Clatter!

The communicator slipped from Captain Cross’s hand and struck the desktop.

The deputy captain’s heart lurched.

"Captain, what on earth happened?"

Slowly, Captain Cross raised his head.

His face was pale, and his voice came out so hoarse that it barely sounded like his own.

"The sky has fallen."