Kaelum stood aside, ecstatic.
“Mike, your talent Second Awakened, what tier?!”
At this moment, Kaelum no longer cared if he could be classmates with Thor.
Mike’s talent Second Awakening was a big deal, not to be taken lightly.
Thor didn’t need him, Kaelum, as a classmate, but Mike really needed a talent Second Awakening!
His previous talent was too underwhelming for Mike!
Facing Kaelum’s inquiry, Mike confessed,
“The Second Awakening happened a couple of days ago. I’m still figuring out its effects, so I didn’t rush to tell you guys.”
Mike wasn’t lying; he had indeed experienced his Second Awakening recently!
“No problem, no problem.”
Kaelum waved his hand and asked again,
“You don’t have to tell me the effects, just tell me the tier, I’m curious!”
Kaelum’s eyes were full of anticipation.
Second Awakening, the lowest being B-tier, the highest being SS-tier talent!
If Mike could awaken an SS-tier talent, he would truly skyrocket!
Mike scratched his head in distress and said helplessly, “What if I told you the talent level hasn’t changed, would you believe me?”
Kaelum shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”
Mike sighed.
Why is it so hard to tell the truth these days?
You want me to lie to you, don’t you?
Mike nodded and said slowly, “Okay, actually, I’m a B-tier talent now.”
As he spoke, Mike picked up his phone and started searching,
“B-tier talents related to eyes…”
Mike read from his phone, “My current talent should be the B-tier talent [Hawkeye], hmm, sounds like a scout.”
Kaelum: “…”
Mike, could you be any more obvious?
“Alright, Mike, stop messing around.”
Kaelum put away his smile and said seriously, “Actually… we’ve noticed your extraordinariness for a long time!”
Mike: “???”
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
If you had noticed, Shadow Nine would have sealed your memory long ago.
Given the frequency of contact between Kaelum and Mike, after multiple Memory Seals, Kaelum’s IQ could directly rival Blaze’s.
“Ahem.”
Kaelum cleared his throat, quite satisfied with Mike’s shocked expression.
“Actually, you have a secret file, A-level clearance, and as your mentor, I have permission to access it.”
Hearing this, Mike breathed a sigh of relief.
So it was an A-level secret file.
Scared the crap out of me.
I thought you pulled out my SSS-level file as Thor’s.
Mike nodded. “Go on, I’m listening.”
“The file states that you initially awakened a D-tier talent, which should be related to the eyes. It just so happened that a recalled Shadow element expert was passing by, and this Lord-level expert’s talent was also of the eye element! He saw your extraordinariness, that your talent could undergo a Second Awakening!”
Kaelum explained, “These are all recorded in the file.”
Mike fought hard to keep himself from laughing, nodding along,
“Ah, right, right, right.”
“According to the information left by the expert in the file, he volunteered to escort you, Mike, under the alias Shadow 8008. At the same time, he contacted you privately, took you as his disciple, and guided you to achieve a talent Second Awakening as soon as possible. Oh right, your classmate Jessica’s talent Second Awakening should also be thanks to that senior, who relayed the information to Jessica through you…”
The file was very detailed.
It almost recounted everything that happened after Mike’s talent awakening and provided very convincing explanations!
Listening to Kaelum’s words, Mike felt that there was nothing wrong.
Let alone Kaelum, even Mike himself believed half of it!
However, the Lord-level mysterious expert in the file was Mike himself.
Kaelum finished speaking and looked at Mike.
“Since you all know, then I have nothing to hide.”
Mike admitted, “I can’t keep up the act anymore, I’m coming clean, my talent has undergone
a Second Awakening!”
Kaelum’s mouth twitched,
“Mike… I was the one who told you that in the first place.”
“No way, my master told me to do this.”
Mike simply went all out.
Since Shadow Nine had fabricated a non-existent [Lord Master] for Mike in the file, Mike was determined to use him as a scapegoat.
Mike said earnestly,
“My master is ruthless, stingy, and loves to hide in dark corners and plot against people!”
“Master taught me to keep a low profile, to be low-key, to be a coward…”
Listening to Mike’s words, Kaelum nodded slowly, understanding. “Indeed, people who enter
Guardian Shadow tend to be more cautious.”
Strictly speaking, they had all died once.
Although Mike’s master was a bit strange, his strength and vision were truly top-notch!
Not to mention, both Jessica and Mike, two young people who had just turned 18, had achieved their Second Awakening under the watchful eye of Mike’s master!
This strength was admirable.
Kaelum’s expression became eager, wanting to speak but hesitating.
“Um… Mike… I…”
Mike patted Kaelum’s shoulder and said seriously, “We’re all friends, just say what you want
to say!”
Kaelum took the opportunity and said embarrassedly,
“Mike, I was just wondering if your master could take a look and see if I have the potential for
a Second Awakening…”
“No problem!”
Mike agreed readily, then added, “But it’ll cost you.”
Before Kaelum could react, Mike said heavily,
“My master is greedy!”
“Very greedy!”
“Your master is greedy?”
Instead of being surprised, Kaelum showed an expression of “that’s understandable” upon hearing this. “I understand, I understand. It’s good for people in Guardian Shadow to have some attachments. The heavier the residual will, the stronger they are.”
This time it was Mike’s turn to be puzzled.
However, he remained calm and asked casually, “Oh? What do you mean?”
“It’s not a secret, just some casual talk.” Kaelum waved his hand and explained, “My nephew told me. You know roughly where the many experts in Guardian Shadow come from, right?”
Mike nodded. “I know.”
Kaelum yawned,
“Speaking of which, several of my classmates are in Guardian Shadow. We usually get
together for dinner. These guys order the most food and don’t pay a dime!”
Kaelum hadn’t even graduated from the superpower university yet, and his classmates were
already in Guardian Shadow.
In other words, they had ‘died’ for some reason during their growth.
In the past, the Guardian Shadow members Mike had dealt with were all top-notch experts.
The weakest was Violet, a true top-tier Lord.
Moreover, the reason why Violet’s current ranking was low was mainly because of her age. She was only in her late 20s and hadn’t been in Guardian Shadow for many years. Before the emergence of the potential Supreme Being, Violet held the position of Shadow Seven, and her strength improvement speed was nothing short of a miracle!
In the past few decades, Violet had broken all kinds of ranking records in [Guardian Shadow]. Just recently, she had also broken the record for the largest single-day drop!
In other words, Mike had always viewed the organization [Guardian Shadow] from the top.
He had never interacted with weaker Guardian Shadow members, nor did he understand their
current situation.
This was the first time Mike had heard of what Kaelum was talking about.
In the past, Mike would have just treated it as gossip.
But things were different now. Now, Mike held the [Shadow Sigil] and was nominally the master of [Guardian Shadow].
Most importantly, Shadow Nine had left the [Shadow Source] to Mike.
The [Shadow Sigil] was just a symbol; it didn’t matter who held it.
The [Shadow Source], on the other hand, was a kind of entrustment. Shadow Nine believed that Mike could go further on the path of the [Shadow element].
Seeing Mike’s interest, Kaelum said a few more words. “Life in Guardian Shadow is very boring. No food, no sleep, not even tower climbing. When they’re not on missions, they just
live in the Shadow Fortress.”
It sounded quite miserable…
Kaelum was afraid that Mike might misunderstand and added, “Most people are grateful to
have their lives back, even if life is a bit boring. However, after such a long time, people’s
mental state can easily have problems.”
Hearing this, Mike frowned slightly.
“So that’s why it’s a good thing for Guardian Shadow members to have residual will.”
Kaelum and Mike walked out of the dormitory, chatting as they went. “Having residual will is like a ship having an anchor. When the wind and waves come, the ship can remain stable. Otherwise, it’s easy to lose control. But before losing control, they will be controlled by the experts in Guardian Shadow and forced into a dormant state.”
As for more information, Kaelum himself didn’t know.
Or rather, even if he knew, he couldn’t say.
“In short,”
Kaelum concluded, “Mike, your master’s so-called ‘greed’ may not be from the heart. It’s
more likely that he’s strengthening his anchor point to prevent himself from losing control. Generally speaking, the stronger the person, the stronger the anchor point they need, and the more distorted they become in certain aspects.”
Mike pondered, “According to what you’re saying, the greedier my master is, the stronger he
is?”
Kaelum nodded. “Yes!”
Mike pretended to think for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I think he’s just plain
greedy.”
Kaelum: “…”
“I’ll help you arrange a meeting with my master in the Trade Secret Realm.”
Mike didn’t forget about Kaelum’s matter and instructed, “Call Anderson and Elena too.”
Kaelum’s eyes lit up. “So, three for the price of one?!”
“No.”
Mike shook his head,
“The three of you coming together means my master can earn more.”
Kaelum: “…”
After breakfast, Kaelum went to find Anderson and Elena, while Mike went to the restroom.
Mike faced the toilet and said respectfully, “Mr. Three.”
Shadow Three slowly emerged from the shadows.
Shadow Three spoke, “You want me to kill Kaelum?” Mike: “???”
“Shadow Three, calm down, calm down!”
Mike quickly explained, “Kaelum is a good person, we’re cool. I need you for something else.”
Hearing this, Shadow Three shook his head. “I only kill people or demons.”
Mike said respectfully, “Mr. Three, please summon Shadow Four. I have something to ask
him.”
“Sure.”
Shadow Three disappeared into the shadows, and after a few seconds, he reappeared, tossing
Shadow Four over like a rag doll.
Mike: “…”
“Shadow Four, I have a question for you.”
Mike briefly inquired about the daily lives of Guardian Shadow members below the Lord tier.
From Shadow Four, he learned that their lives were indeed quite…meh, neither here nor there.
“Sigh.”
Shadow Four sighed. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”
They, as Guardian Shadow members, had already died once, and it was a blessing to have their
lives back.
Shadow Four confessed, “Actually, Guardian Shadow members can also enjoy life, live like
normal people. It’s just that the cost is too high, and there are too many Guardian Shadow members.”
Mike didn’t rush to make a decision. Instead, he instructed Shadow Four, “Make a list of all the awakened and dormant Guardian Shadow members. Also, calculate how much it would
cost to let everyone in Guardian Shadow live a better life.”
“Okay!”
Shadow Four nodded in agreement.
In fact, they had wanted to do this for a long time.
However, there was a thorny problem.
[Guardian Shadow] was poor.
Except for the period when the potential Supreme Being appeared and Shadow Nine returned,
most of the time, Shadow Nine, the master of [Guardian Shadow], was actually on ‘vacation’.
With Shadow Nine as a hands-off leader, [Guardian Shadow] was usually a loose organization, carrying out tasks routinely.
Maintaining a balance of income and expenditure was already the limit of Shadow Four’s
ability.
Wanting to earn more money was simply wishful thinking. Everyone knew that the best money-maker in the world was Foreskin.
Sometimes, Shadow Four even had a dark thought.
If only some demon god could kidnap Foreskin, then [Guardian Shadow] would never have to
worry about money again!
Unfortunately, the demon gods weren’t stupid; they didn’t dare to offend Apollo.
However, the situation seemed to be different now.
The master of [Guardian Shadow] had changed from Shadow Nine to Fourth Bro Thor.
Perhaps, life in Guardian Shadow could be a little more comfortable?
Shadow Four didn’t think too much about it and decided to follow Fourth Bro’s instructions
first.
After sending Shadow Four away, Mike took out his Trade Secret Realm pass.
“Shadow Three, you rest first. I’m going to make some money.”
With that, Mike entered the Trade Secret Realm to meet Kaelum and the others.
…
Just as Mike, Kaelum, and the others were meeting in the Trade Secret Realm, a portal from
the abyss opened in the square.
The banner of the Magmafist corps once again returned to Earth.
Triumphant return!
Blaze Morrow, walking at the end of the line, was arrogant and refreshed!
His headaches were gone, and he had been sleeping soundly!
Blaze Morrow had summarized the reason for this. It must be that Professor Gregory’s research had worked on him!
As expected of Professor Gregory, he had unknowingly solved his problem!
On the abyss battlefield, Blaze Morrow had successively killed many Chief-level demon
creatures.
He felt that he was only a little bit away from the final breakthrough!
“My dear granddaughter, and little fox, I’m back!”
Looking at the training camp ahead, Blaze Morrow couldn’t help but feel a little excited,
“I wonder how the little fox is doing. If that kid finds out that I’m a peak Chief, no, a Lord, I
wonder if he’ll be too shocked to speak.”
“Hahahaha-”
“I can’t wait to see the little fox’s reaction when he finds out that I’m about to become a
Lord!”