"Huh… what?" Victor was dumbfounded when he saw the SS-rank beast so easily devoured by the Akashic Tree. As soon as the notification appeared on his retina, the roots of the tree that had pierced into him completely merged with his body. Before he could even blink, he was hurled out of the mind space.
Outside, Victor's body, which had been in a temporary coma, twitched. His eyelids fluttered, and he slowly blinked as he observed his surroundings.
"I'm… back? What the hell just happened?" Victor mumbled. He frowned when he realized he was lying on the ground amid debris. The last thing he remembered before his consciousness slipped into the mind space was trying to escape with Miss Amanda on her flying treasure.
"Victor, what the heck did you just do?!" a feminine voice snapped from beside him.
Victor turned his head and saw Miss Amanda staring at him wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape.
"What are you talking about?" Victor asked with a deep frown, staring back at Amanda.
"You really don't know?" Amanda asked, raising an eyebrow as she studied him carefully.
"No… By the way, why are we on the ground? Weren't you using your flying equipment to escape?" Victor asked in genuine confusion.
"So, you really don't remember, huh…" Amanda muttered under her breath. She sighed, then began explaining everything that had happened.
By the time she finished, Victor's jaw had nearly hit the ground.
"What the heck!" Victor shouted when he heard Miss Amanda's words.
'Hiss… damn my luck, I nearly died twice today,' Victor cried out inwardly. He considered himself fortunate that Miss Amanda had been there to save him. But then he frowned as a troubling thought crossed his mind.
'Now, how do I explain where that SS-rank monster vanished to? I can't just tell her the truth about my regression… I should just play dumb and shift the blame onto my bloodline,' Victor concluded. He knew he couldn't reveal that the red beam of light, which had erased the SS-rank monster, was the power of the Akashic Tree. Not even to Miss Amanda. If she figured out something was off, she might discover his regression.
"So, you're telling me a red beam of light came out of my body and the SS-rank monster vanished? I have no idea… I'm just as dumbfounded as you are," Victor said with a deliberately confused expression.
"Is that so?" Miss Amanda muttered with a frown, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Maybe it's something due to my Primo—" Before Victor could finish, Miss Amanda suddenly clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Don't utter that word in public carelessly," Amanda warned with a glare.
Victor quickly nodded in agreement. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
'Maybe he really doesn't know… It could be his Primogenitor bloodline,' Amanda thought with a frown as she studied his genuinely puzzled expression. But before she could dwell on it further, she sensed several presences drawing near and immediately turned in that direction.
Tap Tap
Victor also turned his head toward the sound of footsteps and saw a squad of Rankers, their bodies covered in blood and gore from beasts, making their way in his direction. The leader of the group barked orders at them.
"Everyone, stay alert. I sensed a very powerful presence in this area."
"Captain John, we don't stand a chance. I think it might have been an S+ rank beast or higher—we'd just be cannon fodder!" one of the squad members said nervously.
"Shut up! What if there are innocent bystanders who got caught up in it? And besides, I think it already left. I don't feel its presence anymore—but stay sharp, everyone."
'Judging by their attire, they seem to be Rankers with knight bloodlines,' Victor thought as he observed the group. They were dressed in equipment typically worn by those with the Knight Bloodline, and the swords hanging from their waists were also a clear giveaway.
Victor's eyes then fell on the middle-aged, handsome man who was leading the group—it was clear he was their captain.
"Looks like we were late," John said with an ugly expression as he glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground.
"Captain, it seems there are survivors," one of the Rankers said, pointing toward Victor and Amanda, who were watching them from a distance.
"Hmm? Lady Amanda?! What are you doing here?!" Captain John exclaimed in surprise when he recognized her.
"John, why are you here? Shouldn't the guild have sent mages?" Amanda asked with a deep frown.
"Sigh… we're short on manpower," John replied heavily.
"Short on manpower?" Amanda's frown deepened even further.
"Yes. You see, there wasn't just a Dungeon Break here—other places were hit as well. Headquarters sent the mages to the more important cities," John said with an ugly expression.
'Heavens, what on earth is happening?!' Amanda cried out inwardly, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"This kind of event has never occurred in history. This is the first time," John said grimly. Even in the past, Dungeon Breaks were rare, but never had multiple Dungeon Breaks happened at the same time.
"Lady Amanda, I sensed a powerful beast here. Do you know what it was, and where it went?" Captain John asked.
"There was an SS Rank beast," Amanda replied in a calm voice.
Gulp.
The other rankers who overheard went pale with fright, swallowing mouthfuls of saliva.
"SS Rank…" Captain John had sweat trickling down his forehead when he heard the answer.
'Damn, what kind of cursed luck is this—for a beast of that caliber to appear on the lowest floor?!' Captain John cursed inwardly.
"Damn it, everyone be alert!" Captain John hurriedly shouted to the frightened rankers. They snapped out of their daze, their trembling hands grasping their weapons as they looked around solemnly.
"You don't need to worry. It already left through the crack all of a sudden," Amanda said after seeing their tense expressions.
Victor raised an eyebrow at Amanda but didn't say anything, silently excusing her lie.
"What? It just left? That doesn't make sense," Captain John frowned when he heard Amanda's words. Even though he had guessed it earlier, he was still genuinely shocked.
'She must be hiding something…' Captain John thought suspiciously. From what he knew, SS Rank monsters hardly ever retreat, even if dozens of powerful rankers from higher floors gang up on them. The only way to force one back was to overwhelm it with absolute might—something he found impossible to believe could happen on the lower floor.
'Maybe she used some kind of treasure…' Captain John narrowed his eyes at Amanda but decided not to pry where it didn't concern him. As long as the beast had left, it was no longer his headache.
"I see… then we will take our leave," Captain John said before departing with his group.
Meanwhile, Victor was staring at the new rows of text that appeared on his retina.
[ Ding Dong ]
[ Irregular has connected to the Akashic Records ]
[ Bloodline System online ]
[ Host has gained access to Akasha Eye ]