The Evenus Household was unusually quiet. With servants running all over the place to hold ceremonies for nearby noble houses, the estate was usually busy.

Today, however, things were different.

In a highly decorated room within the estate. A man stood with his arms crossed while staring at the projection in front of him.

"....."

He stood in silence as he watched the scene in front of him replay over and over again.

Whenever the scene would end, he would bring his hand forward and shift the video back so he could watch it again.

It was a broadcast that had swept the entire Empire. Originally, Aldric wasn't interested. There were many things that he needed to take care of.

However, curiosity still got the better of him and he ended up getting a subscription for the event.

Aldric was curious about something.

His son, Julien.

Had he really changed as the reports suggested?

"....."

In the end, he ended up witnessing something that he hadn't expected to see.

"....Was he hiding his abilities?"

He watched as his son, Julien, completely took over the entire event with his abilities. The two of them had a slight resemblance with each other, but staring at the figure in the middle of the projection, Aldric didn't feel any of those familiarities he once used to feel.

Rather, he looked foreign to him.

Was this really his son?

"Father."

A figure appeared beside Aldric. It was Linus. His second child. He too was staring at the projection with a frown.

"That's Julien, isn't it?"

".....Yes."

"Has he always been this capable?"

"...No."

"Do you think it's possible that he improved so much after joining Haven? No, even then, he is the Black Star. He's been outstanding ever since his entrance, hasn't he?"

"He has..."

Aldric turned his head to stare at his second son.

Where was he getting with this?

"....."

Without saying anything, Linus turned his head and their gazes met. Just slightly, Aldric noticed something peculiar in his second's son expression.

However, he couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Do you think he's been hiding something from us? No matter how you look at it, that seems to be the case."

"....."

At his words, Aldric remained silent.

He couldn't deny his son's words. There was certainly something about Julien that didn't make sense.

"He must've had his reasons."

"Which are?"

".....I don't know."

"Ha."

Linus scoffed slightly. He found the situation ridiculous. Aldric on the other hand, remained silent while looking back at the projection.

"You don't have to worry about it too much."

"Why?"

Aldric didn't respond immediately.

Rather, he swiped his hand and replayed the video again. This time, he didn't focus his attention on Julien but a figure at the back.

With dull gray eyes, he stood motionless as Julien took the spotlight.

Raising his hand, he pointed it towards the projection.

"....Because of him."

***

"So they've all died...?"

In a quiet room outside of his office, Atlas leaned against the wall as he talked to the air.

"....Not even one survivor?"

No.

A soft voice replied to his left.

"I see."

Atlas closed his eyes to absorb the information. One lower seat and several Fiend ranks had been sent to delay Delilah. The goal had been to delay her for as long as possible, which should've been possible given the strength of the group.

However, things took an unexpected turn.

"How did she do it?"

It had to be noted that the ones sent weren't just random people that the organization had sent. They were extremely powerful people.

Their loss was a pretty severe blow to them.

I am not entirely sure. However, from what I was able to gather, she used a domain.

"A domain?"

Atlas frowned. A domain was something that anyone who reached Tier 5 would be able to create. It was usually something that most individuals would keep a secret since it was a sort of trump card.

That being said...

"...Have you gotten any information on what her domain does? I'm still struggling to comprehend the situation."

The fact that so many strong people had died was a big deal. Especially when it only took her four to five hours to do so.

Was her domain really that powerful?

From what I'm gathering through the memory fragments of those who died, her domain is an entirely different world that absorbs the energy of anyone who is inside. I believe she's capable of absorbing their energy and making it into her own.

"Is that so...?"

So far, yes. We're still looking into it.

"....."

Atlas frowned with a grim look.

Although it was still not fully clear, if her power was really like that, then something became clear to him.

"It seems like we need to re-evaluate her strength."

Not only that, but...

"If she's capable of absorbing their energy and making it her own, then she's also a lot more dangerous than we initially believed."

I agree.

"Hmm."

Atlas's frown deepened. The situation was a lot more serious than he had anticipated. He was just about to say something else when his brow lifted and he turned to look away.

"Ah."

He suddenly felt a movement coming from his office and a smile finally appeared on his lips.

"It seems like someone is about to wake up."

***

I wasn't sure for how long I was out for. All I could remember was seeing the world turn bright before darkness engulfed my consciousness.

It was all a fog from there.

"...."

When I regained consciousness, I found that I was lying on the cold hard ground.

It felt rather uncomfortable.

"Ugh."

Groaning, I rubbed my head. It was throbbing in pain, and the light coming from the top was stinging my eyes.

My eyes squinted as I used my arm to cover my eyes.

"Where am I...?"

I was confused at first, but as I looked around, I realized exactly where I was.

"Ah."

And then I remembered exactly what had happened. For a brief moment, my body tensed. Where is he? Did he figure something out...? As I looked around tensely, I was relieved to see that I was the only one in the room.

At the same time, the fact that I was still alive proved that everything went well.

"Haaa..."

I closed my eyes to feel my body.

'It's a mess.'

The mana flow in some places was slower than others, and my core had shrunk slightly. However, besides all of that, it was safe to say that I was out of danger.

No, rather...

'I think I've gotten stronger.'

I wasn't very conscious back then, but the moment that I defeated the mammoth, I remembered seeing a notification.

The notification was accompanied by something else.

But I hadn't been able to tell exactly what it was. Thankfully, I could check.

EXP + 67%

As expected.

It was a notification indicating my increase in experience for having defeated the mammoth.

I hadn't felt anything back then because of my circumstances, but now that I was out of danger, I could tell that I had gotten stronger.

"....."

Lowering my head, I squeezed my hand. My grip was rather weak and my reaction was slower than my brain input.

"Doesn't feel like I've gotten stronger at all..."

Rather, it felt as if I had become disabled. Of course, I knew it was merely because I was still not in full health.

'Still, this is quite a lot of experience.'

But it made sense considering the strength of the creature which was around Tier 4 to High Tier 3.

But if that wasn't all...

[Midterms: You have overcome the event.]

A new notification flashed in my vision.

It was accompanied by another.

[You were able to prevent a tragedy from occurring in the midterms. Besides a few casualties, the midterms have proceeded smoothly.]

Game Progression EXP + 11%

Game Progression : [0%[18%]100%]

"Aahhh..."

A familiar sensation washed over me. It was one that I thought I was starting to get used to, but unlike the previous times, I could feel the energy coming into my body was far more thick and pure than the previous ones.

My mana core started to expand rapidly and I felt my body surge with strength.

The bar continued to rise before my very eyes. It continued like this until it eventually stopped at Level 25.

Character Progression EXP + 207%

Exp : [0%[23%]100%]

"Haha."

An unbelievable amount of progress. One that was supposed to take me months to achieve.

....And yet, I had managed to achieve it all in one single event.

'I'm starting to catch up with the top cadets.'

While I wasn't exactly sure about how strong they currently were, accounting for their rate of progress and the manuals they had, most of the top cadets were Tier 3 and above.

....And unlike them, I wasn't as talented. If not for the quest, I would've probably still been stuck at Level 20. Perhaps, not even in Tier 2.

It was the painful reality of my situation.

But I wasn't disheartened. Talent or no talent, I was going to work to the point where I became the best version of what I could ever be.

'That much I have to do.'

[Calamity Progress]

Aoife K. Megrail : Slumber

: Progress - 0%

Kiera Mylne : Slumber

: Progress - 9%

Evelyn J. Verlice : Slumber

: Progress - 0%

A new notification appeared. One that I easily dismissed as I struggled to help myself up.

'How long have I been out for?'

".....!"

It was at that moment that I spotted a figure sitting down on the couch on the opposite end, and I froze.

He was staring at me with an interested look.

'When did he get here...?!'

I was so sure that I had been the only person in the room just a few moments ago.

How was he here?

"The more I look at you, the more interesting you become in my eyes."

His gentle and clear voice echoed within the room. As his golden pupils stared at me, he cocked his head slightly.

"I was just outside when I noticed something irregular coming from your body. I thought something had gone wrong and came to check on you, but..."

He lowered his head to scan my body up and down.

"Do you know how surprised I was to see your strength suddenly jump up out of nowhere?"

Atlas appeared just before me.

Before I even had the chance to say anything, he went on to grasp my hand.

I wanted to take it back, but as if I had lost all energy from my body, I found myself unable to resist.

"....."

I stared at him with bated breath.

I could practically feel the beat of my heart drum loudly inside of my mind. Anxiety was starting to creep within me. Did he find something out? Is he...

He eventually let go of my wrist before muttering,

"....So interesting."

Interesting?

What did he find out?

"You have an interesting constitution."

"....?"

"While your injuries are still present, you were able to absorb some of the medical properties of the pill. It's because of that reason that you were able to become stronger. From what I can tell, you're halfway into becoming Tier 3. That's a considerable jump. Not bad."

The fuck is this guy...

'Ah.'

Then I understood.

'....He's misunderstanding the reason for why my strength increased.'

He didn't find anything about the 'quest' or the fact that there was anything wrong with me. That I wasn't the real Julien.

I took the opportunity to roll with the misunderstanding.

"Thank you."

"Hmm, there's no need to thank me for something you were born with. You can however thank me for saving you."

"....."

I remained quiet at that.

"Oh?"

His brow raised as he turned to look at me.

"Not even a word of thanks? It seems like you're taking my abilities for granted."

"...."

I again said nothing.

However, as if understanding what I meant, he leaned back on his chair.

"You were lucky."

Raising his hand, he pulled his black glove down while clenching his hand at the same time.

"Orphion isn't a drug that is designed for human consumption. It was originally designed for the boss monster in the labyrinth. The fact that you were able to withstand so much energy is itself a miracle."

Closing his hand into a fist, the leather glove squeaked slightly as he turned his attention back to me.

"....The only reason you were able to survive is because of me. Besides Delilah, there aren't many people that are capable of taking out that much energy from you. But I bet you knew that."

He suddenly smiled.

"Is that why you took the drug?"

"....Yes."

I nodded then.

I wasn't carrying on with the misunderstanding this time.

It was the truth.

The reason why I took the drug while knowing the consequences that would come from taking it was because I was certain he would heal me.

I knew my worth.

.....And so, I used it.

Them.

"Ha."

With a soft laugh, Atlas covered his mouth with his curled index finger. He seemed to be trying to hide his smile.

I just sat there in silence and waited for him to say something.

Eventually, he did.

....And his next words stunned me.

"It seems like we need to consider upgrading your potential within the organization."