NOVPUB
Chapter 30: Shocking News
Republic of Medes, Capital
In one of the tallest towers of the city, belonging to the "Sironblade" Guild, an emergency meeting was underway.
The meeting room, with massive windows overlooking the city under the night sky, was filled with soft but serious lighting.
A man in a dark formal suit stood at the long table, speaking in a stern voice.
"A purple dungeon has appeared on Mericia Island. The National Federation of Awakened is currently investigating the situation."
Murmurs spread among the board members. A purple dungeon...
The value of a purple dungeon was obvious. Such dungeons didn’t appear easily.
Dungeons were ranked according to the seven rainbow colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Dark Blue, and Purple.
Red was the lowest and purple the highest. Of course, there were additional types like National Dungeons and World Level Dungeons.
"Initial reports say the loot inside this dungeon is extremely valuable. It’s even predicted that a Chaos Crystal might be inside." The man continued with a serious face.
A moment of silence... and then, like a spark in a powder keg, greed and desire lit up the eyes of those present.
Chaos Crystals... one of the rarest and most powerful resources in the world. Any guild that secured even one could shift the balance of power.
Most of them had already reached their peak potential, but with a Chaos Crystal, leveling up might become possible again.
"We must secure one of the entry slots to that dungeon, no matter what." an older board member said firmly.
The others agreed. Their eyes silently turned to one point—Kaelos, the guild leader.
A tall man with broad shoulders, straight black hair that reached the collar of his black suit. His gray, emotionless eyes scanned the room.
That same indifferent gaze that always sat between fear and respect.
Noticing their stares, Kaelos yawned and lazily stood up from the head chair.
"Send a representative to the Federation. Secure one of the entry slots, no matter what," he said calmly, but with authority.
"Prepare the second team. Send them under my eldest son’s command into the dungeon. Bring back the Chaos Crystals... at any cost."
"But sir, your eldest son is preparing for the Dragons and Phoenix Gathering."
"So? That doesn’t exempt him from his duties as my heir," he replied coldly, then stood and walked toward the exit.
"Handle the rest yourselves. Send me a summary of the meeting later."
Without even a second glance, he closed the door behind him.
Immediately, his secretary—a tall woman with narrow glasses and a neat appearance—hurried out of the room to follow him.
Inside the meeting room, everyone let out a quiet sigh of relief. No one dared say a word in Kaelos’ presence; they were used to his cold and dangerous demeanor after years of dealing with him.
In the tall, quiet hallways, Kaelos walked ahead.
His secretary walked calmly beside him.
"Any news from my youngest son?" he asked without turning his head.
"I’m sorry, sir... still nothing." The secretary lowered her gaze.
Kaelos paused for a moment. He took a deep breath. A strange unease stirred in his chest—something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
"Why... do I have such a bad feeling...?" he muttered to himself.
Aron, the last trace of the woman who once meant the world to him. Although the boy wasn’t as talented as his older brother, he held more value in Kaelos’ heart.
He stepped outside the building and stood at the entrance, waiting for the car.
But suddenly—
The air split open. A dark void appeared before him, and a man in a black cloak fell out of it.
The man, pale-faced, collapsed to his knees. His lips trembled.
"What are you doing here?" Kaelos asked, still indifferent.
"I came to report... the young master’s life flame... has gone out," the man said in a shaky but obedient voice.
A terrifying silence swallowed the space.
The temperature dropped unnaturally. Breathing became difficult.
The ground trembled beneath them, as if the earth itself had been shocked by the words.
For the first time, a glint of anger appeared in Kaelos’ eyes.
"What did you say?" he asked in an icy tone.
"Th-the young master’s life flame is gone, my lord" the man repeated, trembling even more.
In a blink, Kaelos vanished from where he stood.
The black-cloaked man fell to the ground in terror and exhaled a heavy breath.
"So this is what it’s like when one of the strongest men on the continent... truly gets angry..." he muttered to himself.
The night sky seemed a little darker.
---
Celestial Domain, Hall of Fame
In the heart of this majestic realm stood a grand palace.
A golden and white structure, made of stone that shone like the sun.
Its majestic architecture—huge marble columns, walls covered in eternal carvings, and a ceiling that looked like it was sculpted by the gods.
In the middle of all this splendor, an old man sat on the marble floor.
His messy gray hair hung like a cloud over his head. His tired but sharp gray eyes shone through the wrinkles of time.
He held an old, thick book and, with a calm like sleep, turned a page.
But suddenly—an odd sensation ran through him. The threads of law around him trembled.
His eyebrows furrowed, and he slowly looked up.
Above his head, lines of light and glowing names appeared.
Sacred rankings, split into lanes, each with its own shine.
His gaze landed on the first lane. At the top, a majestic and familiar name glowed:
[Rank 1 – Arkelos Elthanor – Six Stars]
The old man gave a faint smile and bowed his head slightly out of respect.
But just then—a strange glow lit up the first lane.
The old man’s eyes widened.
White light split the sky, and the name "Arkelos Elthanor" dropped to second place. At the topmost point—once unreachable for centuries—a new space opened.
But this time, no name was recorded.
Only two words glowed:
[Rank 1 – ???? – Seven Stars]
A heavy silence fell over the space.
The old man felt his heart skip a beat.
"This... this is impossible..." he whispered.
A seven-star record...? Something not even legends had mentioned. In the entire history of the Celestial Domain, no one had ever reached such a feat.
And just as he was still in shock—
the sky above the palace darkened.
Eyes. Countless massive eyes covered the sky. Eyes of various shapes and colors. Eyes that belonged to unimaginable beings.
All of them—without exception—stared at a single point. The first lane. The nameless seven-star rank.
The old man, with all his pride and strength, felt his knees tremble in fear. A deep shiver ran through his body.
Even he—one of the ancient guardians of the Hall of Fame—didn’t dare breathe under those gazes.
After what felt like an eternity, the eyes slowly vanished. The palace returned to normal.
The old man exhaled the breath he’d been holding and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He looked again at the first lane.
"No name... still not registered," he thought.
That could only mean one thing— the person hadn’t yet entered the Celestial Domain.
A faint smile appeared on his dry lips.
"This person haven’t even entered the Celestial Domain yet... and already shaken the world like this...?" A rough, quiet laugh escaped his throat.
He calmly lowered his head and went back to reading his book.
As if the greatest storm in the world didn’t matter to him at all.
