Chapter 104: Universal Announcement
[Universal Announcement]
[The first player in the entire Universe to kill a 2nd Echelon being while remaining an Unranked Awakener has appeared.]
[The player belongs to the Human Race and is known as "Heavenly Dragon."]
[The name "Heavenly Dragon" shall be recorded in the history of this Universe.]
[Heavenly Dragon has received a Red Scroll.]
Cain’s eyes widened.
"Red Scroll?"
For a moment, even reaching the Tempered Stage became less important because of the reward he had just obtained.
He had never obtained a Red Scroll before.
The highest reward he had personally handled was Orange color, and even those were precious enough that Cain carefully considered who should receive them.
The red color obviously stood above that.
Cain immediately checked his Inventory.
A rolled crimson scroll had appeared inside.
Faint golden markings covered its surface, and even through the Inventory Cain could tell that the object was completely different from the Scrolls he had obtained before.
He resisted the urge to open it immediately as he had an idea of what he would do with it.
Ron was still staring at the Universal Announcement with a stunned expression.
After several seconds, he slowly looked toward Cain.
"You made the whole fucking Universe hear your name?"
Cain stood and stretched his newly strengthened body.
"It seems so."
Ron looked back at the notification.
"The whole Universe?"
"That’s what it said."
"That means there are aliens?"
Cain glanced at him and chuckled, "That’s what you’re thinking about?"
"What else am I supposed to think about after reading ’entire Universe’?"
"Fair enough." Cain replied with a smile before extending his hand and asked, "What did that bastard drop?"
Ron clicked his tongue.
"An Orange Scroll and Orb."
He pulled both items from his clothes and tossed them toward Cain.
Cain caught them easily before inspecting the glowing objects.
"Oh? I thought you would’ve used them secretly." Cain raised an eyebrow.
Ron’s expression immediately darkened.
"Hmph! I might be shameless, but I’m not that shameless and ungrateful!"
Cain laughed.
"You admitted the first part very easily."
"Fuck off."
Ron continued with a shrug. "You already promised me one anyway. Why would I steal yours?"
Cain stored both rewards.
"Good to know you still possess morals."
"I possess plenty of them!"
"That’s debatable."
Ron looked as if he wanted to continue arguing, but his attention returned to Cain’s body.
The pressure surrounding him had changed completely after advancing.
"Wait." Ron narrowed his eyes, then asked with a curious expression. "What stage is your Core?"
"Tempered Stage." Cain smiled faintly.
Ron froze.
"You just fucking advanced and your Core already reached Tempered Stage without absorbing any Cores?"
"Yup."
Ron stared at him for several seconds, then he turned away.
"Go fuck yourself. I’m done talking with you."
Cain laughed again.
...
While the two continued arguing in the ruined street, the rest of the Universe was anything but calm.
The Universal Announcement had appeared before countless living beings.
It did not matter whether they were human or which world they inhabited.
The name Heavenly Dragon had been displayed before civilizations Cain did not even know existed.
An Unranked Awakener killing a 2nd Echelon being was not simply impressive to those who understood the true difference between Echelons.
It was absurd because no one had ever managed to accomplish such a feat, purely because the difference was just that MASSIVE.
It was actually possible for a 1st Echelon to kill the 3rd Echelon and there had been times where once in a while, the strongest genius within an era managed to pull such a feat, but definitely no one has ever managed to kill a 2nd Echelon as an Unranked.
Because once they became 1st Echelon, they would become much stronger on top of their stats being doubled, as their abilities depending on their talents would undergo a transformation.
Across distant worlds, old monsters began to pay attention to the outside world more after reading the Universal Announcements in front of them.
The younger generation stared at the name with complicated expressions as some immediately became curious, while some others felt threatened.
Among the human race, the reaction was even greater.
...
Somewhere within the 7th Heaven stood a vast mountain range hidden beneath endless layers of white mist.
Ancient forests covered the valleys between the mountains, their enormous trees occasionally rising high enough to break through the fog.
At the center of the range, a massive city had been built directly into one of the tallest mountains.
Its districts followed the natural slopes in enormous terraces.
Stone roads climbed between levels of the city, while long bridges connected sections separated by deep ravines.
Strangely, nearly everyone moving throughout the city appeared to be young.
Inside the largest building near the mountain peak, hundreds of people had gathered within an enormous hall.
Voices overlapped continuously.
"The first in the Universe?"
"Has anyone ever heard "Heavenly Dragon" and know which world he came from?"
"How can an Unranked Awakener kill something at the 2nd Echelon?"
The discussion grew increasingly chaotic.
"Silence!"
An old man with long white hair lightly struck the bottom of his cane against the floor, causing a soft wave of energy immediately spread throughout the hall.
The hundreds of voices immediately disappeared.
The old man sat upon the main seat at the front, his long white beard resting against his robes as he looked across everyone gathered before him.
Sigh!
He released a quiet sigh.
"I don’t know whether the human race producing a genius like this at such a time will become a fortune or a disaster."
His expression gradually became serious as he continued, "However, I want him found at all costs."
The people below immediately focused on the old man.
"Search every source available to you. The moment anyone obtains information regarding Heavenly Dragon, report it immediately."
A young man near the front hesitated before asking, "Dean, what should we do if we manage to locate him?"
"Bring him here."
The Dean answered without hesitation, then his gaze sharpened as he continued.
"Remember to not trust everyone simply because they belong to the human race."
The atmosphere inside the hall changed.
"If trouble appears while you are bringing him back, prioritize his safety first."
Nobody misunderstood the meaning behind those words.
The Dean waved one hand.
"Go!"
Most of the people inside immediately left.
Several instructors followed the younger members outside, leaving only a small number of senior figures behind.
A bulky middle-aged man with a short beard waited until the doors closed before approaching.
"Dean."
The old man looked toward him.
"What is the Human Race’s response?"
"The majority obviously want him to be found and properly nurtured."
"That much was expected." The middle-aged man nodded.
Sigh!
The Dean sighed again.
"Unfortunately, there were still some stubborn old fools who disagreed, as they were afraid of the incident that happened a long time ago and even wanted to take extreme measures to avoid future problems."
Silence filled the hall.
The Dean looked toward the open windows overlooking the mountains.
"Naturally, we also need to investigate Heavenly Dragon thoroughly."
His voice became colder as he continued.
"Hopefully, there won’t be any problem. Otherwise..."
The sentence ended there.
Nobody asked what would happen otherwise as they could guess in their hearts what he meant.
...