Free Web NovelChapter 195: _Why Is Everyone Drawn To Him?
Shawnee National Forest
While Ambrose and certain individuals plotted with mundane Hunter skirmishes... Several miles away, gods among humanity acted for the first time in years.
Under the thick cover of the forest trees and the setting dusk above, Wukong landed—geared up in a form fitting black outfit.
His senses stretched outward, immediately picking up strong traces of aether. One that could only come from a being beyond SS-Rank.
He sniffed into the evening air, his boots crunching hard against the moss. "That thing was around here." Came his soft observation.
Then he braced himself before leaping hundreds of meters into the air. Once he was high enough he stopped, seemingly unaffected by gravity for a few seconds.
"Any luck from your end, Yemoja?"
At another end of the forest miles away, Yemoja stood at the middle of a river. Her long silver grey curls swayed into the wind as she gracefully touched the waters.
"Nothing." She answered through the intercom. "But I can sense it. Faint traces of aether lingering in the air. The waters. The trees—everything reeks of this entity."
"Yet somehow I can’t seem to get a hold of that lingering energy," Wukong finally dropped from the sky with a plain expression. Once he landed, he stood upright immediately. "Almost as if it’s covering its tracks. Actively hiding whatever aether trails it may leave behind."
Yemoja’s forehead wrinkled.
She raised her head heavenward, taking in a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Once they were open again, she could see it.
The aether traces were now visible like the very clouds above. She squinted, following the trail—until she noticed something odd. Eerie.
The trails would end at a certain point then begin unnaturally hundreds of yards away. Sometimes she’d think the patterns were following a zig zag. Other times it seemed like a broken circle.
"Not hiding." The small glow in her eyes ceased. "Deleting. Take a look at the aether trails."
Unlike lower ranks, all SSS-Ranks could actually see aether... even when it was within a living being. It made gauging another person’s or monster’s power level remarkably easier.
"I’ll be a monkey’s uncle," Wukong scoffed. "You’re right. This thing left behind enough aether to make us chase only to delete them once they got to points where we could track it."
"Dangerously clever." Yemoja mused. "It’s clear it’s no longer within the forest."
"So... this has been a waste of time?"
"No," she moved through the flowing water, watching calmly as it naturally made a path for her. "Not entirely. We now understand something more about this Void Entity."
The second her boots touched the grass covered ground, they turned greener. Fresher. Even flowers bloomed in her wake but she barely noticed.
"I guess you’re right." Wukong grinned from where he stood. "Let’s hope Kali and her projections are at least able to find a clue. This thing looks like it’s going to be a truly worthy opponent..."
★★★★★
Phoenix Flight HQ
Augustus stared at his phone for what felt like the hundredth time this evening. He stood at a corner in the Guild’s security surveillance room.
On the screen was a clip Han Jae-won sent him. It showed Guide Ambrose clearly stepping out of the lobby restroom—even though there were zero shots of him walking in to begin with.
Viktor Morozov also walked in and out but he couldn’t care less about what they were doing in there.
Now he had a few questions nagging at his mind no matter how hard he tried to ignore.
How did Ambrose get there to begin with? Does Hunter Viktor perhaps know something about it? Did Han Jae-won let anyone else know about this?
’There has to be an explanation on how he appeared in there.’ he thought to himself. ’Guides don’t just... or could it have something to do with Hunter Gabriel?’
He was well aware that the space God and Hunter Valentine Lockwood were somewhat... close with the C-Rank. Perhaps Gabriel helped him teleport.
But then that begged another question. Why would these two SS-Ranks suddenly gravitate toward this one, insignificant Guide? Not to mention Hunter Devon and Viktor.
"Sir?" A voice beside him pulled him out of the swirling storm that were his thoughts. He angled his head to one of the surveillance staff. "We’ve curated the surveillance logs from suite number two hundred and eighty two."
Augustus paused.
Two Hundred and eighty two.
Slowly he turned his head to the surveillance monitors. "... Show them to me then."
If Ambrose Hale indeed had secrets he wished to keep hidden he’d dig them up. For the first time in a long while... he felt really drawn to the idea of peeling off the mask of someone else.
Someone who’s unironically become more interesting than he would’ve ever given him credit for.
★★★★★
Meanwhile, in his suite, Ambrose arched a brow in the middle of a drink. He got this odd feeling... almost as if he heard someone mentioning his name.
"Daddy, daddy!" Orion hopped out of his bedroom with his pajamas just then, skipping to where he lounged on a sofa. "Do you want to see my homework?"
Ambrose froze.
Devon was in the kitchen, back with some fresh ingredients he bought for dinner. He was too occupied with slicing some—although he raised his head briefly when Orion mentioned homework.
The Guide sighed, his eyes sliding back to the boy. "Alright, buddy." He beamed, gesturing that he sat beside him. "Show me what you’ve got. Hopefully it’s not math."
To his dismay, Devon chimed from the kitchen island. "Don’t tell me you’d actually have problems with first-grade math, Rose."
"I’ve got problems with all kinds of math," Ambrose rolled his eyes as Orion placed himself beside him. "Oh. This doesn’t seem so hard at all. Alright, show me where exactly you’re having issues, kid—"
A knock at the living room door interrupted the father-son bonding moment.
The three of them swung their heads to the door while Ambrose focused on Aura.
[ALERT: Guest is an SS-Rank Esper.]
Ambrose’s stomach lurched.
The knock came again, forcing him to get on his feet with a frown. Devon was about to move but he lifted a finger, signalling he got it.
However, when he finally got to the door and opened it—nothing would’ve prepared him for the face he saw at the other end.
Thick grey moustache etched on a wrinkled face. Sturdy muscular arms. And the kind of aura that signified a man who’s seen decades of war, blood and life.
"Guide Ambrose," Guild Master Magnus kept his chin high. He gave the Guide a once-over, barely noticing his unease. "May I come in?"
