The S-Rank Awakened's Cold Warning
In the dark meeting room, a massive round table stood at the center. The lights hanging from the ceiling dimly illuminated only the immediate area around it, and the faces of the Awakened seated there reflected expressions of their own unique flavors.
Most were A-Rank, those who had once made a name for themselves or were still active in the field, but none of them could sit comfortably that evening.
The sole reason was the woman on one side of the table.
Shalla.
“Is that S-Rank Shalla?”
“Her pressure is no joke.”
“An S-Rank showing up for a meeting...?”
Even in the whispered voices, Shalla showed no reaction at all.
From Rai’s apartment, where she had been sprawled on the sofa all day doing nothing, there was no trace of that figure.
She sat with her back perfectly straight, arms crossed, and her gaze cold as she looked down on the surrounding Awakened. The dignity befitting an S-Rank Awakened filled her eyes.
She looked at the man seated across the table.
His name was Edmund Crowell.
Deputy Director of the National Gate Disaster Management Agency, the very one who had personally summoned this closed-door meeting.
Tap. Tap.
Shalla lightly rapped her fingers on the table.
“So.”
The noise in the meeting room gradually faded.
“Why did you call us here?”
Edmund stared at her for a moment before nodding his head.
“Thank you all for coming here despite your busy schedules.”
“That kind of greeting is unnecessary.”
Shalla cut off his words immediately.
“Let’s get to the main point.”
A few of the Awakened swallowed their breaths as they watched her.
Edmund wore an awkward smile.
“Understood.”
He lifted a hologram into the center of the table.
“The people gathered here today are all Awakened who can still be active in the field. It was harder than I thought to bring everyone together.”
The hologram displayed records of each Awakened’s activities.
“Some are still working their regular jobs, others are guarding high-ranking officials. Some even operate as bounty hunters, making it difficult to track their locations.”
“Do you really think we’re that free that we could make it all the way here?”
A man seated to one side sneered.
“If you call us here for no reason and then thank us, who would be happy about it?”
At those words, Bat standing in the back glanced at Shalla and covered her mouth, giggling quietly.
“Putting these people together for a meeting is really tough.”
Shalla noticed that Bat had included her in the complaint, but she didn’t say anything.
Edmund lowered his head.
“I didn’t mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”
He then switched the hologram screen.
“The real reason I summoned you today is different.”
Suddenly, a photo of a massive crack appeared on the screen.
“What’s that?”
“What...”
Edmund slowly opened his mouth.
“Last night, an abnormal phenomenon was observed in an area where no gate exists.”
The meeting room fell silent.
“Precisely... it was a crack that occurred without a gate.”
“What?”
“That can’t be.”
Voices erupted from various spots.
Especially Shalla’s expression hardened for the first time.
Acris.
He had slain the final boss that was once considered the strongest, and every gate that had existed in the world had vanished.
Monsters that used to emerge through gates were also no longer appearing.
Yet now...
“No gate, but a crack appeared?”
Shalla muttered in a low voice.
Edmund nodded.
“Our agency was the first to discover this crack last night. And there...”
He paused.
“We confirmed traces of a monster at Lv. 90 or higher.”
“.........!”
This time, no one could continue speaking.
“Why are you telling us about this now?”
“Where exactly did it appear?”
“Are there any victims?”
The Awakened fired questions at the same time.
Edmund shook his head.
“There are currently no victims.”
“What?”
“The problem is that we haven’t been able to track the whereabouts of that monster.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy in an instant.
“The crack also disappeared temporarily, and we haven’t confirmed where the monster moved to. So right now, we can’t even pinpoint its exact location.”
The murmurs grew louder.
“So there’s no way to find it.”
“If it’s Lv. 90 or higher, we can handle an entire city...”
“What are we supposed to do in a situation like this?”
That was when.
Bang!!
Shalla slammed her fist onto the round table.
The huge impact sound froze the entire meeting room in an instant.
Screeech.
Shalla stood up from her seat.
“How pitiful.”
All eyes turned to her.
“Awakened, you guys are only this weak?”
Shalla glared at each of them one by one.
“If something dangerous appears, we can just find it.”
“But you said you don’t know the location either...”
Shalla asked in response to one Awakened’s words.
“So? No victims yet means we still have time to move, right?”
Her voice gradually grew louder.
“Everyone has their own daily lives. There are people you need to go back to and people you need to protect.”
She briefly glanced at Bat before continuing.
“You’ll regret losing that later?”
No one answered.
“Don’t sit here worrying like idiots.”
Shalla placed her hand on the table.
“Move. If you can’t find it, find a way to locate it. If you don’t know, find out.”
At that moment.
Beep.
A small notification sound rang from Shalla’s pocket.
Everyone’s gaze briefly shifted to her.
Shalla took out her phone.
A short message appeared on the screen.
「I’m buying pudding.」
And below it, the phone’s wallpaper showed.
The image of Rai lying on the sofa with a completely carefree face as he slept.
Shalla stared at the photo for a moment.
And then she smiled very faintly.
“....Idiot.”
She set the phone down again.
A tiny bit of softness remained in her expression from moments ago.
But her voice was still firm.
“Crowell.”
Edmund raised his head.
“Yes.”
Shalla looked straight at him.
“Give me the plan right now.”
“...........”
“If we’re going to move, we have to decide where to start looking, don’t we?”
The Awakened present hardened their expressions one after another.
And this time, no one complained.
Meanwhile, at that same time.
At Rai’s apartment, Bella stood in front of the bedroom door.
Bella looked at the closed door, then turned her head toward Rai.
“Senior.”
“Why?”
“I want to go into that room.”
Rai’s expression darkened.
“....Is that your request?”
“Yes.”
“......”
Rai let out a sigh.
“I honestly had some expectations...”
“What expectations?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Just moments earlier, his heart had been racing for no reason, but the moment he heard the words ‘want to enter the room,’ that feeling vanished like a lie.
Rai shook his head.
“Still, that room is off-limits.”
“Why?”
“The owner said not to enter.”
“Owner?”
“Yeah. If you go in on your own, it’ll be troublesome for a while.”
Bella briefly glanced at the door before turning her gaze back to Rai.
“Eee~! You two are living together~!”
“Fa... family—!! Cousin... little sister... right...”
Rai answered in a trembling voice.
“Hmm. Even though it’s such a cute junior’s request...”
“Even that won’t work...”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Bella seemed to hesitate for a moment, then pulled something from her pocket.
Rai’s eyes widened.
“......Wait.”
The thing in Bella’s hand was the pink bra she had found under the bed earlier.
“Why are you still holding onto that?!”
“You took it from my hand earlier, senior.”
“That was the one I was holding!”
“Was it?”
Bella casually handed the bra to Rai.
“Then I’ll give it back to you.”
“....Eh?”
The moment Rai unconsciously extended his hand.
Bella let go.
Tap.
It landed directly in Rai’s hand.
“.............”
Rai’s face flushed bright red.
“It’s fine. Just... go in.”
Bella’s expression brightened.
“Really?”
“Instead, don’t leave any traces of entering.”
Rai said while turning his head.
“Don’t touch anything to do with where it was either. Just go in and come out.”
“Thank you, senior.”
Bella lightly bowed and walked toward the bedroom.
Tap.
At that instant, Rai’s hand grabbed Bella’s wrist.
“Wait.”
Bella stopped.
“..........”
Rai’s expression was different from before.
“You...”
Bella turned around.
“What?”
“What are you even doing this for?”
Her voice was serious.
Bella stared at Rai for a moment.
Then she answered with utter calm.
“Just because I want to go into the room, that’s all.”
“..........”
Rai’s eyes narrowed.
“Is that even believable?”
“Why?”
“You came to our house and suddenly want to enter the room?”
Rai said without letting go of Bella’s wrist.
“You... are hiding something, aren’t you?”
Bella remained silent for a moment.
Then she chuckled.
“I thought you were such a pure senior.”
She looked at Rai.
“I didn’t know you were so sly.”
“What?”
Before Rai could react, Bella’s hand moved.
Tap—!!!
Her palm struck strongly against the back of Rai’s neck.
“Eh...? Chew...”
Rai’s eyes momentarily went blank.
“So it was... actually possible...”
Before he could finish speaking, his legs lost their strength.
“Huff... puff...”
Thud.
Rai collapsed onto the floor.
“Senior?”
Bella looked down at the fallen Rai.
“Just rest for a bit.”
She turned her body without any concern.
And stood once more in front of the bedroom door.
She slowly raised her hand and placed it on the doorknob.
Click.
Bella’s gaze was different from before.
“Sorry, senior. This is for your sake.”
Creak.
She quietly opened the door.
