Chapter 140: Easy

?Cassian opened his [Lord’s Ledger] and calculated the synthesis requirements. With the available bodies, he could forge an Arachnid undead with SS-Grade potential.

?It was a respectable result.

?For most Lords, an SS-Grade summon would have been an extraordinary asset, a miraculous addition worth celebrating rather than dismissing.

?But Cassian wasn’t most Lords.

?He had already witnessed what [Fusion] could accomplish when supplied with sufficient sacrifices.

His army already contained summons with SSS-Grade potential, and he had zero intention of settling for anything less when forging a new Special unit.

’?Three hundred and seventy-three corpses for SS-Grade potential...’

?His blue eyes narrowed into sharp slits.

’?Not good enough.’

?He glanced toward Nyxara.

?His first Champion possessed A-Grade potential, which was impressive by standard domain metrics.

Yet Cassian had already formulated a long-term strategy to elevate her potential even further.

He intended to push her far beyond her existing limits, and he wasn’t about to treat his newest Special summon any differently.

?If he was going to invest resources into an Arachnid capable of manipulating hyper-sensitive, razor-sharp spatial silk, he wanted the absolute best possible result.

?Not merely a powerful asset.

?A complete monster.

’?If I’m going to do this, I might as well do it properly.’

?Cassian studied the pile of bodies again, weighing his tactical options.

?He needed more sacrifices.

?Preferably, a lot more.

?His gaze drifted toward the dormant Worldbreaker Core before settling back on the corpses.

’?I’ll have to find another supply.’

?Cassian reached up and tapped the communicator earpiece attached to his ear.

?He had placed the device on strict Do Not Disturb before stepping up to confront the Worldbreaker Core.

Maintaining absolute concentration during that volatile counter-reaction had been life-or-death, and the last thing he needed was a ringing earpiece interrupting him while he was stopping a planet from vaporizing.

?He hadn’t expected the process to take so long.

?Nor had he anticipated being granted a Special Skill by the Astral Dominion directly afterward.

?With the immediate planetary crisis officially resolved, he finally toggled the setting back on.

?The communicator vibrated violently against his ear.

?A sleek interface pop-up expanded before his eyes.

?[Missed Calls: 99+]

?Cassian stared at the screen.

?"..."

?Another red notification flashed.

?[Incoming Messages: 99+]

?Then another.

?[Priority Communications: 17]

?Cassian’s relaxed expression gradually stiffened into a stone mask.

?He slowly turned his head toward Nyxara.

?The Undead Elf blinked at him, tilting her head slightly. "My lord?"

?Cassian said nothing.

?He looked back down at the communicator, checking the caller ID displayed at the top of the priority list.

?Louis Ferdinand — Overseer of the Astral Dominion.

?"..."

?For several agonizing seconds, Cassian remained completely motionless.

?Then, he closed his eyes.

’?Ah.’

?He had a pretty clear idea of what had just transpired.

?Louis had likely been floating in space for the past hour, watching the Worldbreaker Core’s energy signatures spike toward critical mass while sweating bullets, wondering if Cassian was about to save the planet or detonate the entire world himself.

?And Cassian, having smoothly neutralized the weapon and acquired two new skills, had completely forgotten to ping the Tier V Overseer who was currently coordinating the planetary defense.

?Worse, he had left the supreme authority of the Astral Dominion on Do Not Disturb the entire time.

?Cassian slowly raised a hand and rubbed his forehead.

Before he selected Louis Ferdinand’s name and initiated the call.

?The connection barely had time to register before it was accepted. A holographic projection flickered to life, revealing the elderly Overseer’s face.

?"Cassian! Are you all right? Did you sustain any injuries? Did you encounter any difficulties dealing with the Worldbreaker Core? Do you need medical assistance? I can dispatch a team of top healers to your location immediately!"

?Louis fired off one question after another, barely pausing to breathe. The usual stoic composure of the Overseer of the Astral Dominion had vanished, replaced by sheer, frantic urgency.

?Before Cassian could even open his mouth, another barrage followed.

?"Are you certain you’re completely unharmed? That device was capable of vaporizing an entire planet! Even the slightest miscalculation could have—"

?"I’m fine, Overseer," Cassian interrupted smoothly. "I wasn’t injured, and dealing with the core wasn’t particularly difficult."

?Silence.

?Louis blinked, completely frozen.

?Beside Cassian, Nyxara looked visibly pleased. Her expression even brightened slightly at the Overseer’s frantic concern, after all, such genuine panic could only mean her Lord was held in the highest possible regard.

?Cassian, naturally, paid little attention to her reaction. Instead, he waited patiently for Louis to process his words.

?"Thank the stars," the Overseer breathed, letting out a long, audible sigh of relief. "I’m glad it wasn’t difficult."

?He paused mid-breath.

?Then, his expression stiffened.

’?Wasn’t difficult?’

?Louis stared through the holographic feed, suddenly re-evaluating the words that had just left his mouth.

?The young man standing before him had awakened as a Lord less than two days ago.

He had barely begun his journey, yet he had somehow managed to neutralize a Worldbreaker Core, a planetary extermination weapon that manipulated binary fusion energy on an apocalyptic scale.

?Even Ascendant Lords would fail to contain such a catastrophe without perishing.

?Yet Cassian had just described the entire ordeal as not particularly difficult.

?Louis pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on.

’?What kind of monster have I gotten myself involved with?’

?He had witnessed countless extraordinary events throughout his centuries of existence.

He had encountered geniuses, prodigies, and historic figures whose talents defied conventional logic.

?But Cassian was something else entirely.

?’I suppose this is the absolute disparity between a Divine-Blessed Lord and an ordinary one.’

?The thought drew a weary, exasperated sigh from his lips. He had barely begun to comprehend the young man’s true capabilities, and already, Cassian was forcing him to question every fundamental rule he knew about newly awakened Lords.

?"By the way, Overseer... I need your help with something."

?Cassian’s casual tone shattered his spiraling thoughts.

?Louis straightened instantly, his gaze locking back onto the young Lord. After everything that had just transpired, he had a sneaking suspicion that any request leaving Cassian’s mouth would turn out to be another absurd, reality-bending affair.

?Nevertheless, he quickly regained his composure.

?"Go on," he said, steeling himself for whatever was coming next.