While Slade was resting in his room to recover both physically and mentally from the recent activity, his grandfather called for a sudden family meeting. The entire Willson household gathered in the main hall:Richard and Elena, the family doctor (Uncle Hales), Amelie, and a few senior servants.
Grandfather George sat at the centre of the long table, his expression calm yet firm. "Well, I called everyone here for an important matter."
He said, his voice carrying a serious tone
. "I believe you all know what this is about."
Mrs Willson folded her hands neatly on the table. "Yes, Father. It's about Slade. His memory loss... and his behaviour,"
She said, sighing softly. "He's not the same as before. It'll be difficult for him to handle normal college life right now. He doesn't remember a lot of things and will need time to adapt."
Grandfather George nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. Tomorrow, Richard will take him to the company's research facility for a few physical and mental evaluations. If the results look good, he can resume college life soon. However—"
he paused, glancing at Amelie,
"I've decided Amelie will accompany him to college. She'll help him adjust and make sure he stays out of unnecessary trouble."
He leaned back, adding,
"We won't make it public that he's lost his memory. Amelie, you'll stay by his side throughout the day and return home with him. If any friends or classmates invite him anywhere, you'll go too."
Amelie blinked, a little startled."Y–Yes, Chairman."
"Elena,"
He turned to Slade's mother, "You'll be the one to explain this to him."
Mrs Willson looked at Amelie, who appeared a little nervous, and gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be good for Slade to have Amelie with him,"
She said warmly. "Especially since she awakened her A-Rank ability — Telekinetic Threads. That'll come in handy."
Richard crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against the chair, his tone more practical than emotional.
"At least he's not obsessed with that William girl anymore,"
He muttered. "But now that she's awakened an S-Rank Healing ability... if Slade recovers his memories, do you think that'll cause problems?"
Dr Hale, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. "I don't think so. His thoughts are clearer now, and he's adapting quickly. Even if he regains his memories, he'll remember the decisions he made with a clear mind. It's not a bad sign."
Mrs Willson still frowned.
"He wants to end that engagement. Honestly… that might be for the best."
Grandfather George raised a hand to settle the discussion. "Let's not focus on engagements or personal matters right now," he said calmly. "The important thing is Slade's stability. Richard, what should I inform Steven (the principal of Venus College) about Slade's current power situation?"
Richard replied, "Tell him Slade's ability is technomancy-related, with an estimated B-level Essence Value. Tomorrow we'll test with company devices. If he can operate them efficiently, we move forward."
Dr Hale nodded in agreement. "That's a good plan. It'll make things much smoother."
Grandfather George nodded slowly. "Yes, that would be the best option for now," he said in his deep, measured tone. "However, everything will depend on the test results tomorrow."
He paused, glancing toward Richard. "By the way… about the William family's new project. Should we still invest, as we discussed earlier?"
Richard leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "It's better if we handle it strictly as a business deal this time — no emotions or favours involved like before," he said firmly. "Especially since there's a chance Slade might officially break off the engagement. We should keep our interests clean and professional."
George smiled faintly."Good approach."
He shifted topics with a low hum. "And what about that Cross family boy?"
Richard's lips formed a cold smile.
"I've… handled a few things. Pressured them through government channels. The Cross family won't dare pull anything reckless for a while."
Mrs Willson spoke sharply.
"I hope that boy knows his limits this time."
Grandfather George gave a small grunt of approval. "Now, the only thing left is Slade's admission to college," he said, tapping his fingers on the table. "Should we hire someone to help him with Essence control and training? He said his ability consumes Essence directly. Normally, Essence just powers the superpower when used techniques, but it seems to feed on itself. That's new — and dangerous."
The room fell quiet for a moment as the gravity of his words settled in.
Grandfather George nodded after a long moment of thought. "Alright then. Slade will head to Venus City tomorrow," he said firmly.
"Amelie will accompany him, along with a few trusted housekeepers. That way, he can settle comfortably and start his college life without worrying about day-to-day matters."
He glanced toward Richard ."He can also visit our company's Venus city Branch while he's there. It'll do him good to learn the basics of the business side too — at least get a sense of what we do before he graduates."
Richard nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. Exposure to both study and business will help him stay busy — and grounded."
George then turned to Elena, his expression thoughtful. "There are members of the Hale family in Venus City as well, aren't there?"
Elena paused, then nodded. "Yes, Father. My third brother, Victor Hale, and his family live there. He works for the government in the Life and Environment Research Department. They handle research on dungeons, mutated beasts, and Essence-based ecosystems. His children have also started college this year."
George's eyes softened slightly. "Good. Tell them about Slade's condition — his memory loss. If he ever needs help, they can assist him. It's always good to have a reliable family nearby."
Elena smiled faintly. "Of course, Father. I'll contact Victor right away."
George gave a satisfied nod.
After some discussion, the family finalised everything — Slade would leave for Venus City tomorrow after a checkup, accompanied by Amelie and a few housekeepers. The Willsons' plans were set, and the mansion slowly quieted down for the night.
🌙 Meanwhile, in Slade's room…
Slade sat cross-legged on the bed, scrolling through the phone with intense focus.
"Alright," he muttered, typing aggressively, "let's see what this universe runs on. Please don't tell me the top search engine is called 'Duck Quack' or something—"
He paused.
[Quack Quack Search Engine — #1 in the world]
Slade stared at the logo of a duck wearing glasses.
"…Yeah, okay. Peak innovation."
He continued typing.
✅ Topic Search #1: Venus College
Homepage popped up — sleek, flashy, unnecessarily dramatic.
Venus College — #1 Awakeners Institution of Xia Nation
Producing Elites, Leaders, and Superpower Innovators.
Slade nodded slowly.
"Top-tier funding, government backing, elite awakeners… yup. Classic 'main protagonist academy.'"
He scrolled.
✅ Student Power Rankings – Current Year
He skimmed the list, then suddenly stopped.
Rank 6: Lia William — S-Rank Healing Branch
"Ah," Slade whispered flatly. "Fiancée. S-rank. Great."
He continued scrolling.
Rank 9: Damien Cross — S-Rank Gravity Manipulation
Slade blinked.
"So the guy who powerbombed me into a coma is literally a walking black hole."
He checked the top spot.
Rank 1: Ethan Lin — S-Rank Element Manipulation (All Five Elements)
Slade stared at the screen for three straight seconds.
"Yep. The ultimate protagonist template. S-rank, handsome, tragic backstory pending. Probably has a harem made of plot armor."
He snorted.
"At least now I know who to avoid… or prank."
✅ Topic Search #2: Power Ranks and Realms
He clicked another link.
F-Class → Latent HumanE-Class → NoviceD-Class → AdeptC-Class → TrainedB-Class → AdvancedA-Class → EliteS-Class → Apex
Slade dragged a hand down his face.
"They even capitalized the letters for dramatic effect… standard webnovel behaviour."
He swiped down.
✅ Topic Search #3: Energy System / Essence
Upon Awakening, Essence increases + one additional energy type (mental, spiritual, or elemental).
Slade whistled.
"So everyone gets a bonus stat pack. Meanwhile, I got Error.exe."
Scrolling.
✅ Topic Search #4: Forum Thread Leak
"Non-powered people have their own hidden cultivation system."Peak of the path = Great Grandmaster Realm (= S-Rank Awakener in strength)
Slade froze mid-scroll.
"…Hold on. Secret martial arts route? Equal to S-rank awakeners?"
His eyes gleamed.
"A hidden route that's not in the public curriculum? Yes. YES.This is the part where protagonists go missing and come back shredded."
He leaned back, satisfied.
"Okay, I officially approve this world."
He closed the tabs and yawned.
"Basics learned: power rankings, elite academy, plot-armored main characters, and a secret martial arts path."
The faint glow of Essence flickered inside his body — slowly recovering.
"Tomorrow's going to be fun. New city, new college, and a world full of overconfident prodigies."
Slade smirked.
"Let's just hope none of them try to slap me for character development."
And with that, he drifted into a calm, Essence-recovery sleep.