With each item spoken, the tension in the room climbed.
Benedric’s eye twitched.
Several elders nearby exchanged wary glances.
Just hearing Ronan list the first few items, they already knew the value far exceeded the total wealth House Sable had accumulated over the past century.
If they really had to return all that, House Sable’s power would shrink by eighty percent or more!
Even Lucien’s expression shifted slightly. The list was far more substantial than he’d expected.
“What’s the matter? You sever the bond, and now hesitate to return what came with it? Or does House Sable intend to breach its honor?”
The words struck like stones.
But before Benedric could speak, Calista stepped forward, arms crossed.
“It was a relationship, not a business contract. Don’t be ridiculous. No woman would return such gifts after ten years of engagement.”
Lucien immediately followed. “Calista’s right. No real man would ask for those things back. It’s petty and disgraceful.”
Just the thought of returning that much was painful—even if it wasn’t his.
And he still hadn’t received the B-grade extraordinary weapon Benedric had promised him. How could he possibly accept that.
“So you really mean to keep what was never yours to begin with?”
Benedric’s patience snapped.
“That’s enough!” he barked. “You’ve said your piece. Now get out. You won’t be getting anything back. And consider yourself lucky I’m letting you leave after the way you humiliated my daughter and me.”
“Be gone, Ronan Crowne. Before I lose my temper.”
Return all that wealth? Impossible!
He had no intention of giving it back, and what could Ronan possibly do—force him?
No, Ronan wouldn’t, right?
Benedric truly believed that Ronan—the timid boy who once groveled at Calista’s feet—would do as told.
He was sorely mistaken.
Ronan laughed.
A quiet chuckle at first, then louder, cutting through the tension in the room like a crack of thunder.
The elders of House Sable frowned, confused and uncomfortable.
What was so laughable?!
Calista looked startled. Lucien narrowed his eyes.
Benedric’s fist slammed down on the arm of his chair.
“Enough!” he shouted. “Silence, you insolent brat!”
But Ronan simply raised a hand.
In a flash, a chair of shadow-forged energy appeared beside him.
He sat down with elegance and calm, crossing one leg over the other, as if he were in his own estate and not surrounded by a hostile clan.
He rested his arm on the chair’s edge and tilted his head slightly.
“You speak to the heir of House Crowne like a tavern drunk lecturing a merchant’s apprentice,” he said softly.
“So let me ask again—who are you, Benedric Sable, to speak this way to me?”
Gasps rose from the side hall.
Benedric shot to his feet, “You insolent fool! You forget your place!”
“I don’t,” Ronan replied evenly. “But I wonder if you’ve forgotten yours.”
Benedric’s aura exploded.
Red and gold spiritual energy crackled around his body like lightning preparing to strike.
“I’ll drag you back to your father myself!” he roared. “Let’s see what he has to say about the son he raised!”
And with that, he vanished.
One blink—he was gone.
Then, a shockwave.
The air howled. The floor cracked. Benedric’s silhouette burst forward, Rank 7 might blazing.
The younger members of House Sable couldn’t even track his movement. The elders braced for impact.
But Ronan?
He didn’t move.
He didn’t blink.
He merely whispered, “Slap.”
From thin air, a ghostly hand appeared—translucent yet radiant with terrifying might.
It descended with divine speed and unrelenting force.
SMACK!
A violent crack echoed through the chamber.
Benedric’s body slammed into the marble tiles with bone-shaking force.
The floor beneath him shattered into a spiderweb of fissures. Blood splattered across his robes.
A set of teeth clattered across the floor.
A bright red handprint burned across his cheek.
Gasps. Silence. Then utter disbelief.
Ronan remained seated. Unmoved.
And then, above them all, a glowing figure slowly descended—shrouded in golden energy.
A true Rank 8 Gold Master had arrived!
Cloaked in a power so ancient and overwhelming that even the air seemed to bow in reverence.
Everyone stared, frozen in awe.
And Ronan... merely smiled.
In an instant, chaos erupted across the main hall of House Sable.
Calista Sable staggered backward, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Lucien Cross clenched his fists beside her, staring in shock at the towering figure that now stood calmly beside Ronan Crowne—a man exuding the terrifying aura of a true Rank 8 Gold Master.
A Master of such caliber, appearing here?
How come?!
Panic rippled through the room.
Benedric Sable, still reeling from the brutal strike, groaned and tried to rise.
His once-imposing form looked pitiful as he struggled to gather spiritual energy from the air, clawing his way out of the cracked floor.
Benedric finally lifted his head and looked up, dread heavy in his eyes as he addressed the elder.
“Who... who are you? Why are you interfering in Sable family matters?”
Latest Chapter
The Isolated Variable
“We know that we cannot accuse you without evidence. But, there’s something else,” he said.He exhaled and continue, “Ronan Crowne, your contribution in defending the camp is undeniable… but so are the anomalies surrounding your presence.”Ronan met his gaze levelly.“What anomalies?”Another officer tapped the hologram and a spectral energy graph lit up — the same silver-gold wavelength the Ministry had been analyzing.“Wherever strong beasts appear — this energy shows up too,” Harrel said. “It attracts them. Rank 7s, rank 8s… and always in the direction of your aura.”Ronan’s brows tightened, but only barely.“You’re suggesting I’m baiting beasts?”Some of the officers stiffened — because yes, they were.Harrel didn’t deny it.“Whether intentional or accidental, your presence is drawing them. And we can’t risk further casualties.”Ronan’s voice held steady.“I don’t know what these signatures are. I haven’t done anything to lure beasts. I’ve only fought them.”Harrel studied him, me
Forging Signature
The night was deeper now over the Thandor wilderness, and the world outside the shelters had turned deathly still. The earlier attack had drained nerves and rattled spirits, leaving most students huddled in silence. The air smelled faintly of scorched soil and dissipated beast-essence. Even those who had slept—did so with half-open eyes and trembling breath. It would be a long night.But far from the blood-soaked camp, in the Ministry of Education in Thalara city, another kind of battle was underway—a battle of information, evidence, and truth.Minister Dorrian Blackthorne stood inside the Strategic Analysis Room — a chamber filled with floating holo-projections, psionic wave maps, and multi-layered tactical overlays that shifted by command of thought rather than hand. The room hummed with quiet neural resonance — like a temple of minds rather than machines.Around him were high-ranking military analysts, senior educators, and two psionic resonance experts whose faces were drawn with
The Second Threat
The announcement came through the shelter intercom—clear, official, almost unreal.“ATTENTION STUDENTS. THE EXAMINATION IS NOW FORMALLY CONCLUDED.YOU WILL BE EVACUATED FROM THE AREA IN APPROXIMATELY SIX HOURS.REMAIN INSIDE SHELTERS UNTIL TRANSPORT ARRIVES.”For a moment, there was only silence.Then reactions came in waves.Laughter of relief.Sobs breaking free.Some even cheered.A few simply slumped down, staring at the metal floor with glazed disbelief.They were going home.Alive.No more beasts.No more trial.No more death.Just waiting—for rescue.Some students collapsed into seats or curled against walls, exhaustion finally given permission to exist.Others laughed hysterically — laughter not from joy, but from nerves snapping back after too much strain.A boy murmured, voice shaking:“Six hours… that’s all. Just six more…”Another whispered:“I’m gonna sleep for three days straight when I get home…”But soon, the sobering truth returned:Six hours.Six hours still inside
Voices of the Fallen
The Ministry of Education building was never meant to hold a crowd this large—neither physically nor emotionally.Parents, guardians, relatives, even siblings of students spilled across the plaza before the great marble steps. The air was heavy with shouting, pleading, anger, and grief. Holosigns flickered with bold protest scripts:“Bring them back!”“They are children, not soldiers!”“Stop the massacre!”Some held framed photos—smiling student faces now silenced forever. Some cried openly. Others screamed until their voices broke. Many simply stood, trembling, in desperate hope.Inside, Minister of Education Dorrian Blackthorne stood behind reinforced glass, listening to the roar outside. His expression was steady—but there was tension in the way his fingers tapped the desk. His eyes weren’t indifferent; they were pained.Behind him, aides argued in urgent tones.“The pressure is overwhelming— we have to respond—”“If we give in, the credibility of the examination collapses—”“We’ve
I Don’t Need Him Anymore
The shelter was dimly lit by emergency lamps — harsh, pallid, and cold.Inside, tables were crowded with soldiers and officers, their armor still stained with dust and beast blood.A heated discussion was underway.“This is unacceptable,” one lieutenant snapped, slamming his palm on the table. “We can’t keep sending students into death traps. The exam needs to be suspended immediately.”Another officer exhaled, shoulders heavy.“Rank 7 beasts shouldn’t even exist in this region. This entire area was mapped, verified, secured.”“Exactly,” someone muttered. “There hasn’t been Rank 7 or Rank 8 activity in this valley for over a decade. So why now?”One of the strategists spoke softly yet firmly:“Something drove the beasts here… or something summoned them.”A ripple of unease spread through the room.“Then we definitely cannot continue the exam—”“But it’s just one more day!” a younger officer protested. “If we cancel now, the entire evaluation cycle collapses. The students have already
The Ones Who Cannot Run
The second day of the Frontier Examination began under a heavy sky.No one felt the same as the day before.Not after watching students die.Not after seeing Rank 7 beasts rampage through living bodies like wet paper.Not after seeing Ronan and Lucien break through to Rank 8 in front of the world.And not after mourning the fallen.The plaza of the encampment was quieter now. Less chatter. Less arrogance. More steel behind eyes.Everyone respected Ronan Crowne now.Some admired him.Some feared him.Some hated him silently for rising so fast.But no one ignored him.And strangely… Lucien Cross received similar treatment. He too had reached Rank 8, though his aura wavered slightly, like a candle in wind. Still, the title was the title. The achievement was real.They were the two highest-ranking students on the field.Even though the Rank 7 cores had vanished, meaning neither could claim them, Ronan didn’t bother searching for excuses. The beasts died. The cores disappeared. Fine.Let t
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