Free Web NovelChapter 34: A Rumbling Situation
In the Association chamber, the thirteen Legendary Hunters and others went very still.
The human woman in the hologram spoke first, and her voice arrived in every ear on Earth at once, warm and pleasant and utterly without kindness.
"People of this world."
The image behind the four shifted, a slow-turning emblem of interlocking spirals, vast and old.
"We four speak for the four great civilizations that founded and lead this alliance. You may think of us as your neighbors, though you have not known it until today." She smiled. "We have watched your little world climb. You have grown strong enough, at last, to be worth speaking to."
One of the human men picked up the thread, his tone easy, almost bored. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"So we will be direct, since you clearly value directness. Your world has been assessed. It qualifies for admission to the Alliance." A pause. "As a minor civilization."
The elf woman spoke next, and her voice was cold where the others had been warm.
"Admission is not a request. It is an outcome. The only question left open is the terms under which it happens, and those we decide by custom."
The second man, silent until now, delivered it.
"In 24 hours, you will send forth your ten strongest. We will send ten of ours. They will fight." He let it sit. "If your ten prevail, your world enters the Alliance with standing, as an equal minor power, your sovereignty intact."
The first woman took it back, still smiling.
"And if your ten fail," she said gently, "we will take half of your population. They will be distributed through the Alliance as labor, as is the founding right of the great civilizations over the small." She spread her hands. "Your world will still join us. Simply at a lower price, paid in people rather than pride."
The elf’s cut-glass eyes swept down over the whole planet as if she could see every face at once.
"Twenty-four hours," she said. "To make it fair, we know that your world doesn’t have a Divine-rank powerhouse yet. If you had, we wouldn’t have bothered doing this. But you don’t have one. So we will only send Legendary-rank powerhouses from our side. Choose your ten. We look forward to meeting them."
The hologram held for one more moment, four luxurious figures gazing down at a world of Thirteen Legendary Hunters and eight billion souls.
Then it vanished, and the ships went quiet again, and the sky was just full of silent lights.
In the Association chamber, nobody spoke.
Thirteen of Earth’s strongest stood staring up at an empty sky, doing the same arithmetic all at once, the arithmetic of ten opponents from a civilization that spanned worlds.
Far away, on a windowsill at a quiet estate, Tom’s tail went still.
"Master," the little Vaelith said slowly, and for once there was no complaint in his voice at all. "Those threads. The four of them." He swallowed. "They go back so far I lost the start. These are not people who lose."
Aidan watched the empty sky, food forgotten in his hand, a slow and dangerous interest waking behind his eyes.
"Ten strongest, huh," he murmured.
Earth had thirteen known Legendary-rank Hunters.
Seven headed the top seven Guilds, and the other six were in the GHA (Global Hunter Association).
"Well, we need to win six battles out of ten. Surely, it won’t be a problem, right?" Aidan blinked.
"Who knows?" Solenne shook her head and closed her eyes, returning to comprehend and learn the spirit-based technique.
"Whatever the case, I need to up my game." Aidan cracked his neck. "I need to create better techniques and improve my combat sense."
"Master, I sense something. A thread creeping close to you," Tom suddenly said. "The owner of that thread...has same endless depth as you."
Aidan’s eyes glinted. "Same endless depth?"
"Of course, thanks to me, nobody can track you with magical powers or techniques because now I am managing your thread."
Tom was proud.
Aidan wondered. "Could it be another Transcendent player? And that player is trying to find me? Or is this related to one of the two incidents?"
He had killed people twice. One time to save Solenne, he killed some pieces of trash who had Epic-rank parents.
Other time was in City H where he killed a dumb young master.
Tom snickered. "Whoever it was, they failed. With me, they can’t come close to you. I’ve erased all possible trace you’ve left out there."
"Thanks, buddy." Aidan smiled.
He didn’t know if there was another Transcendent Player on Earth, or more than one aside from him.
But if there was one, they would surely be strong. Stronger than him.
After all, he was a new one. He had just arrived here as a Transcendent player a couple days ago, but if this another Transcendent player was here for years, then that player must have progressed considerably.
’Surely, that player has to be at Divine-rank, right? Hey system, can you tell me?’
No answer.
Aidan decided to put this in the back of his mind. freeweɓnovel.cøm
’Whatever. If there is another Transcendent player, and Earth is about to lose, that player will surely show up to save the day.’
’For now, I have to focus on getting good from being a noob scrub.’
Aidan decided to enter a high-focus meditation to elavate his combat power by creating better and more refined techniques using his Aspects.
Meanwhile, the big shots began scambling to decide their ten hunters who will fight with the ten from the galactic alliance.
