Chapter 77: Sequence Three

The next morning, the first thing Jackson did after waking up was contact Snow Farcry.

Although he was confident that there shouldn’t be any problems with her guarding the house, he had learned long ago that confidence and certainty were two very different things.

His family was too important to leave anything to chance.

Once the communication connected, Jackson casually asked Snow several questions, including whether she had noticed anyone suspicious near the house and whether anyone had attempted to approach or investigate the Von Maximus residence.

Snow’s answers were straightforward.

So far, nothing unusual had happened.

No suspicious individuals had attempted to approach the house, and she hadn’t detected anyone attempting to probe the family’s defenses.

Jackson nodded thoughtfully.

Given how much time had already passed, he had expected the Desolate Troop leader’s elder brother to become increasingly impatient.

If the man truly intended to take revenge, remaining silent for this long was unusual.

The fact that there had been no movement from their side could only mean one thing.

His identity had not been exposed that easily.

A faint sense of relief washed over Jackson.

As long as his family remained safe, he could finally focus his attention on cultivation and the academy without constantly worrying about what might happen back home.

After exchanging a few more words with Snow, Jackson ended the call.

His hunter license vibrated almost immediately.

Jackson glanced at it.

He was about to ignore the notification and begin his morning meditation when he noticed the sender.

Veronica Green Soul.

His expression changed slightly.

Of all the people who could have contacted him this early in the morning, Veronica was certainly one of the more interesting choices.

Jackson opened the message without hesitation.

His opinion of Veronica was already quite high.

After all, the one million mana stones she had given him had played a significant role in his rapid growth.

Without that unexpected fortune, his cultivation speed would have been considerably slower.

The moment he read the message, however, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Another duel request.

Jackson stared at the message for a few seconds.

To be honest, when Veronica had accepted his challenge previously, he had expected her to keep challenging him afterward.

Yet after that battle, she had unexpectedly gone silent.

A small part of Jackson had actually been disappointed.

He had been looking forward to seeing what other tricks she possessed.

Now, seeing another challenge appear before him, the familiar itch to fight stirred within his heart.

He almost accepted immediately.

Then he stopped.

His expression became thoughtful.

Compared to their previous battle, his advantage was no longer as overwhelming as it had been.

The Golden Brush was terrifying when his opponent’s defenses had been compromised, but it wasn’t an ability that could simply ignore every form of protection.

As long as an Awakened properly protected their spiritual force and maintained sufficient magical power, Jackson couldn’t simply increase their Spiritual Force until their body exploded.

And Veronica’s talent was especially troublesome.

A talent capable of stopping things was far more difficult to deal with than ordinary defensive abilities.

Jackson still didn’t fully understand the limits of her power.

He had no idea what exactly she could stop, how long she could maintain it, or whether there were restrictions he hadn’t yet discovered.

Charging into another battle without understanding those details would be reckless.

Jackson thought for a moment before a slight smile appeared on his face.

Rather than immediately accepting the duel, he began typing.

"I will accept the duel if you can give me a Rank Three alloy armor."

He pressed send without the slightest hesitation.

There was no shame in making such a demand.

If anything, Jackson felt the price was reasonable.

He wasn’t some unknown rookie begging for attention. His identity as Bitter Rain had already attracted countless challenges, and he rejected more requests every day than he could possibly accept.

A single battle with him was already worth something.

More importantly, he was now standing at the threshold of the Third Sequence.

A Rank Three alloy armor would be extremely useful to him once he broke through.

So, from Jackson’s perspective, the demand wasn’t excessive at all.

Still, he couldn’t help wondering whether Veronica would agree.

Rank Three equipment was extraordinarily valuable.

Even wealthy organizations couldn’t casually hand it out.

Jackson leaned back and waited for her response.

Meanwhile, far away from Golden Radiance Academy, Veronica Green Soul was sitting cross-legged inside a luxurious penthouse.

The enormous windows behind her overlooked a dazzling cityscape, with flying vehicles moving between towering buildings and streams of light illuminating the streets below.

Yet Veronica had no interest in the scenery.

Her attention was focused on a series of reports displayed before her.

They contained information about several talented young Awakened who had recently entered Golden Radiance Academy.

She was carefully examining each profile, searching for anything that might lead her closer to the mysterious Bitter Rain.

Suddenly, her communication device rang.

Veronica glanced at the notification.

The moment she saw the sender’s name, her expression became slightly complicated.

Bitter Rain.

An unpleasant memory immediately surfaced in her mind.

The sensation of her body suddenly swelling before exploding from within was something she had no desire to experience a second time.

She opened the message.

Her eyes moved across the single sentence.

Then stopped.

A faint frown appeared on her beautiful face.

Rank Three alloy armor.

"Seriously?"

Veronica rubbed her forehead.

This was an annoying request.

Rank Three armor wasn’t something that could simply be handed out like ordinary equipment.

Every piece of Rank Three armor owned by Green Soul Corporation was an important strategic resource, and transferring one required approval from the corporation’s highest authority.

Her father.

The head of Green Soul Corporation.

Fortunately, this wasn’t actually difficult.

It was simply troublesome.

If possible, Veronica would rather not disturb that old man over something like this. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

She stared at the message for several seconds before gritting her teeth.

"Damn it."

Her expression hardened.

"It’s worth it."

She had already spent a considerable amount of time investigating Bitter Rain.

Recently, she had gotten extremely close to confirming his real identity.

This duel could be the final piece of the puzzle.

If she could force him into another battle and carefully observe his abilities, fighting style, physical characteristics, and reaction patterns, she might finally be able to connect Bitter Rain to the mysterious young Awakened she had been investigating.

Veronica’s eyes narrowed.

"With this duel, I’ll definitely find out who you really are."

With that thought, she picked up her communication device and prepared to make a call she had been hoping to avoid.

On the other side, Jackson blinked several times as he stared at Veronica’s reply.

She had responded far faster than he had expected.

For a moment, he simply looked at the message in silence.

Then a faint regret surfaced in his mind.

Maybe I should have asked for more.

He had expected her to hesitate over the price of a Rank Three alloy armor, yet she had agreed almost immediately.

That could only mean one thing.

He had probably underestimated how badly she wanted this duel.

Jackson shook his head and pushed the thought aside.

There was no point regretting it now.

He ignored the duel request for the time being and sat down cross-legged.

With a thought, he took out one of the Peak Rank One pills provided by the academy.

The pill was tiny, barely larger than a sesame seed, with an ash-gray surface that shimmered faintly under the light.

Although it looked insignificant, the energy contained within it was anything but.

Jackson placed it into his mouth.

The moment the pill dissolved, a warm stream of nourishment spread through his body.

He immediately closed his eyes and focused inward.

His consciousness descended into his spiritual space.