Chapter 38: DEATH THREAT

The aura he emitted through his grip, his piercing gaze and even his overall presence was absurd. It was so domineering that Aaron found himself momentarily frozen in place.

This was the first time he had properly met the boy’s gaze, and the feeling it gave him was unsettling. The boy was strong. Strong enough, Aaron suspected, to tighten his grip and crush his shoulder into minced meat without much effort.

Logically, Aaron should have been the strongest Awakened among everyone present.

After all, he possessed a Sixth-Dimensional Nature.

But for some reason that was not the case...

His expression darkened.

For the first time since his reincarnation, Aaron felt his survival instincts kick in.

This person isn’t a student.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice laced with hostility.

The boy tilted his head slightly, regarding him with a cold stare. He was smiling, but his eyes carried a murderous glint.

"I am Asus. You might know me as the First Reincarnate."

Aaron’s heart sank.

The First Reincarnate?

According to what he knew, the First Reincarnate was supposed to be a man in his sixties or seventies. So how could he possibly look this young?

It was impossible.

Asus’s smile widened.

"That reaction... I suppose you’ve heard of me already."

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Let me guess. I killed the Second. The Third isn’t on this world. The Fourth hasn’t been seen in a long time, while the Fifth and Sixth have never approached you..."

He stroked his jaw for a moment before continuing.

"You’ve met the Fourth. The red-haired girl who managed to escape me. She must have told you about me."

His smile gradually faded, replaced by a murderous glare.

"Am I wrong?"

Aaron flinched slightly but quickly regained control of his facial expression.

What does he want?

He had just heard the boy mention the Fifth and Sixth.

Ren and Soran.

Were they still alive?

He desperately wanted to ask, but the murderous presence radiating from Asus made it difficult to gather his thoughts.

Suppressing his anxiety with all his might, Aaron forced himself to speak.

"Fifth... Fifth and Sixth? Wh-What happened to them?"

Asus stared at him in surprise for a moment before letting out a short, mocking laugh.

"After everything I’ve said, those are the only two you’re worried about?"

He shook his head with an expression of pity.

"You’re still so naive."

Then, surprisingly, his grip on Aaron’s shoulder softened.

"Anyway, I’m a magnanimous man. I’ll answer your question."

Asus took a step closer, studying Aaron with renewed curiosity.

"I caught them in the Dungeon years ago. Both of them, together. We had a short fight, and I was quite close to killing them when they offered me a proposal."

Aaron’s brows furrowed.

"Wh-What proposal?"

The boy smiled.

"You see, every time I kill a reincarnate, I receive a significant portion of their Dimensional Ability."

Aaron’s eyes widened.

"What?! That’s impossible!"

Asus nodded with a knowing smile.

"It’s very possible. I only possessed a Second-Dimensional Nature until I killed the Second."

Aaron froze.

That’s impossible!

Increasing one’s Dimensional Nature was supposed to be impossible. A person could only strengthen their existing Nature, not increase its dimensional level.

But wait!

A sudden realization struck him.

When the boy had touched the orb, it had—

"When you touched the orb—"

"This body is just one I possessed minutes ago. I’m not really here."

Asus interrupted him flippantly.

He observed the confusion on Aaron’s face before continuing.

"Your friends pleaded with me to give them more time to grow stronger so I could harvest an even more significant portion of their soul essence. It was a cowardly move, but a sensible proposal. So I accepted."

He finally released Aaron’s shoulder and clasped both hands behind his back.

"In their desperation to save themselves, they also told me about your existence and where you lived. They even told me you’d be coming here for the awakening ceremony."

His smile returned.

"And they weren’t wrong."

Then, suddenly, Asus’s expression went blank.

"However, what I didn’t expect was for you to possess a Fifth-Dimensional Nature. Had I known this, I would have come here with my original body and plundered your soul."

His eyes narrowed.

"I can’t plunder a Fifth-Dimensional existence, no matter how inexperienced he might be, without being physically close to him. I assumed you’d be a First-Dimensional being, or at most, Second-Dimensional."

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

"I’m currently on a different continent. But for your sake, I’ll descend into the Dungeon, find you and plunder your very existence."

He took a step back, his casual smile returning as though he hadn’t just threatened to kill Aaron.

"Goodbye, for now."

As he said that, the boy’s eyes brightened for a moment before his expression shifted into a frown.

"What am I still doing here? I should be preparing for my descent."

Without sparing Aaron another glance, he turned and hurried off, joining the others.

Aaron remained where he stood, motionless.

His eyes were vacant, his face expressionless.

For a moment, he couldn’t even process what had just happened. He was completely speechless, his mind in utter disarray.

First of all, Soran and Ren had known where he was all along, yet neither of them had ever reached out. They even knew he would be here today, and instead of warning him, they had sold him out to the First Reincarnate just to protect themselves.

Aaron took a shaky step back, struggling to keep himself upright.

He’s lying. That body-inhabiting bastard was lying.

At that moment, one of the maids assigned to help the students prepare for their descent suddenly approached him.

She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and wore a neat maid outfit. Stopping in front of him, she gave a brief bow.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you Aaron Goldilock?"

Slowly, Aaron’s eyes settled on the girl bowing before him.

He was still crestfallen, unable to utter a word. With a blank expression, he simply gave her a single nod.

Sensing his acknowledgement, the maid raised a white envelope above her head with both hands, maintaining her bow.

"Someone dropped this off years ago. They said you would come today and requested that I hand it over to you."

Aaron blinked, then reached out and collected the envelope.

He carefully tore open the seal, pulled out the folded sheet of paper, and unfolded it. His gaze immediately settled on the contents.

His eyes widened slightly.

The handwriting...

There was no mistaking it. He had seen it countless times before. It was undoubtedly Ren’s.