Free Web NovelChapter 47: _You’ll Get Stronger Too
"Leo?" Alisha frowned, looking between Devon and Ambrose. "Your nephew? What about him?"
Devon didn’t answer. His fists clenched, chest burning with guilt, grief and something else. Suddenly, just when he turned away from the television—
—Loud alarms blasted throughout the Guild HQ. In every suite. Every hallway. Every office. Ambrose covered his ears subconsciously, head swinging to Orion’s bedroom door.
Sure enough, the poor kid had the door slightly open, golden eyes peeking curiously. He seemed confused. Scared.
"A red alert." Alisha glanced at the ceiling as the alarms kept blaring. "That means we have a meeting at—"
"I know what it means." Devon strode past her, grabbing a coat from the rack beside the door. He paused, glancing back at Ambrose with a knowing look. "Stay here."
The Guide’s mouth parted. He was about to complain about how he didn’t get a notification and that he couldn’t let Devon go alone.
But the words got stuck in his throat, his jaw tightening as he watched the two Espers rush out of the suite. When the door shut behind them, Ambrose’s shoulders dropped with a sigh.
"Alright, Orion. You can come out now."
Slowly, the little boy crept out of his bedroom. The alarms finally stopped but he still seemed shaken, eyes trembling as Ambrose spun to face him.
"Daddy?" The boy called. "What was that alarm sound?"
Ambrose walked to him, crouching to his knees. "The Guild is about to face a very serious threat. But don’t worry... they’ll be fine."
That didn’t convince Orion. "Where did Papa go?"
"For a meeting," Ambrose answered coolly. "Don’t worry, he’ll be back."
"Why didn’t you join him this time?"
The question made the Guide exhale softly.
Yeah... Why?
’Probably because of my measly C-Rank status,’ he lowered his head, trying to hide his annoyance from the boy. ’I’d be nothing but a hindrance to everyone. Before a Cataclysm Level rift.’
And that’s if he doesn’t get slimed within the first minute.
"Daddy isn’t strong enough for a mission like this." Ambrose patted Orion’s shoulder still. "Just papa. But don’t worry... this means I can be here with you."
Surprisingly, Orion didn’t seem all too excited.
Instead, he fiddled with his fingers before doing something that stunned Ambrose. He wrapped his little arms around the Guide, pulling him into an embrace.
Ambrose just stayed there. Blinking. Uncertain of what to do.
Then, "You’ll get stronger too, daddy. I believe in you."
Those words warmed Ambrose’s heart instantly. He smiled, placing a hand on the boy’s head. His not-so-wanted son from the future was proving just how integral he was now.
Just then, the system rang with a notification, flashing a screen in front of him.
[TODAY’S DAILY QUEST LOADED.]
Once his gaze slid down to the quest objectives... he froze.
"Huh?"
★★★★★
Phoenix Flight Main Observation Chamber
"I believe everyone here got the message from the Federation," the Guild master’s boots thumped like war drums as he waltzed into the room.
Every top member of the Guild was already gathered at the centre of the chamber. Including all five of their S-Rank Espers.
The Guild master’s expression was grim as he continued. "This is no longer a mere dungeon raid," he paused, eyes fleeting briefly past Devon. "It’s a dungeon break that we must contain. The Leviathan of the Echo Rift as it’s being called is shown to be intelligent. Its presence alone is changing the terrain in favour of..."
He clicked a remote, making all heads turn to the projection screen falling from the ceiling. Footage of the bipedal beasts which first broke through the black Rift was displayed.
"... These critters." The Guild master pointed at the projector. "The weakest among them are upper A-Rank. Brutal beasts that would rather tear you apart limb from limb than eat you."
Devon’s chest tightened.
He could already imagine Leo’s terrified cries as he was ripped apart by these beasts. That’s if they truly got him.
’Who am I kidding?’ his hand found his phone in his pocket, folding helplessly. ’He’s definitely been slaughtered already.’
The most annoying part was just not knowing his fate. It was that the boy’s so-called great-grandfather stood before the rest of them now, giving mission reports like it was another Tuesday.
Calm. Painfully stoic. Battle-hardened.
That’s the Magnus Ferguson he grew up knowing. And here he was in all his glory.
"The gills on those small exposed parts on their necks," the Guild master went on, oblivious of his grandson’s thoughts. "Those are their weak spots. Aim for them with your abilities and weapons. Any other attack would almost certainly be tanked by their exoskeletons."
Someone raised a hand. "Sir? Will we be helping with the evacuation process?"
"The local Guilds are already working on that." The Guild master was quick. "Our main objective is slaughtering as many of those bipedal beasts as possible. And keeping the Leviathan from advancing any further."
Another person, a Guide, raised his hand. "But sir? Won’t it be a waste of resources, energy and time if all we can do to this beast now is ’contain’ it?"
"No," the older man said, placing his arms behind his back now. "You’ll also be gauging its power. Searching for weaknesses. That’ll give way for our country’s SS Ranks to step in."
Murmurs exploded through the gathered crowd just then. Even Devon’s eyes narrowed on his grandfather.
The country’s SS Ranks. That included his old man as well as some legendary heavy hitters.
There were only fifteen known SS Rank Espers in the world. And the United States had five.
Wait—
’That man from last night,’ he recalled just then. ’He was SS Rank too. I’m sure of it.’
Flashes of those dark sunglasses and that small smirk played on his mind. Plus... his apparent closeness to Ambrose, whom he clearly just met.
"That’s enough." The Guild master grunted. "That’ll be all for now. Gear up and get ready. We depart in an hour."
Whispers still bounced through the crowd but no one dared make a ruckus. As people trooped toward the doors, Devon focused entirely on his grandfather.
"Sir." He kept his tone calm. Respectful. "A word?"
Magnus Ferguson looked down at his grandson.
The room around them suddenly felt very quiet.
"Make it quick."
