Matthew Atkinson
Oxford, United Kingdom
There was a saying. Someone could achieve something once or twice with luck, but never thrice.
This meant that if someone had succeeded at something three times, it was no longer due to luck but stemmed from the person's genuine ability.
He and Natalie have now received an SSS-grade perfect mission rating for the third time in a row.
And the impact of their achievement was far more sensational than he had imagined.
Natalie's name truly entered thousands of households and became the subject of countless people's conversations during their leisure time.
Even those who don't like to go online have heard this name from their relatives and friends and know that a peerless genius has appeared in the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, Natalie naturally received widespread praise.
Countless people were eagerly anticipating how far this girl would go if she continued to maintain this level of performance.
This time, the People's Daily even hailed Natalie as "The Pride of the United Kingdom".
With the People's Daily leading the way, major news media outlets began focusing their coverage on Natalie.
The higher-ups also paid more attention to Natalie.
The most obvious change was that, on the same afternoon, a new batch of campus security personnel arrived, with more elite and capable individuals being transferred to the University of Oxford's Supernatural Division.
It was said that, to prevent foreign forces from resorting to desperate measures and sending powerful figures to assassinate her, the higher-ups even dispatched a team leader from the Round Table to protect Natalie secretly.
...
These were very high-level precautions.
But that made sense.
When Natalie received an SSS-grade mission rating for the third time, it completely ignited major overseas online platforms and successfully aroused the keen senses of some people.
All the major powers have raised the level of threat posed by Natalie to the highest level.
They actually knew that humanity did need a savior.
However, this savior must be one of their own.
They didn't need, and they wouldn't allow, an outsider to be their savior.
The most direct reaction was that the bounties on Natalie on the dark web skyrocketed again.
A bounty of 5 billion US dollars had already been offered for Natalie's head.
At the same time, somewhere in Europe, several people dressed in black robes drove to a highly remote place under the cover of night.
There was a very old church here. Judging from its architectural style and the dilapidated exterior walls, it was probably built in the 19th century.
When the car arrived at the church, several luxury cars were already parked at the entrance.
The men in black robes were unfazed and, after exiting the vehicle, headed towards the church.
But, they didn't enter through the main entrance.
Instead, they crawled into a nearby small hole and found a secret passage leading deep underground.
This secret passage was at least a hundred meters long. After emerging from it, the view suddenly opened up before them.
A vast underground palace came into view.
Dim lights shone on both sides of the underground palace, filling the place with a gloomy and dark atmosphere.
One of the men in black robes couldn't help but shiver.
Seeing that his companions did not react at all, the man in black had no choice but to endure it and continue walking forward with them.
The further they went in, the denser the gloom became.
Soon, they arrived at a strange space.
This place appeared to be an altar, filled with black gas.
Around the altar, there were many people in black robes like theirs, all with their heads down, standing still, their faces completely obscured.
In the center of the altar, a woman dressed in a red robe was praying devoutly, chanting incantations as if she were reciting a taboo name.
A moment later, three men in black robes, each leading a bull, a lion, and a python, entered the altar from different directions.
They seemed superhuman, and even the bull and lion struggled with all their might but could not break free of their control.
Then, the three men in black robes took out sharp blades and slit the animals' throats.
Instantly, large amounts of blood were sprayed onto the altar and then flowed into the central pool.
As the pool gradually filled with blood, the woman in the middle stood up and untied the ribbon around her waist.
Her red robe slipped off immediately, revealing a fair, delicate, and graceful body.
The beautiful woman and the blood instantly created a bizarre scene.
Then, the woman walked straight into the pool of blood and buried her entire body in it.
Much later, the blood pool suddenly began to boil.
The woman suddenly sat up from the pool of blood and quickly climbed ashore.
Many of the men in black robes could clearly see that a large number of black lines were spreading across the woman's body.
Furthermore, these black lines move, like countless living earthworms wriggling around.
One of her subordinates immediately brought clothes and draped them over the woman.
After putting on her clothes, the woman glanced around at the crowd.
Her pupils had turned scarlet red at some point, exuding an eerie aura.
"I have received a divine oracle."
The woman suddenly spoke, her voice deep and solemn. "Our God is about to descend upon our world."
Upon hearing this, the men in black robes around them became excited.
They would all gain eternal life as long as their God descends.
Thinking of this, some people couldn't help but cheer.
Seeing this, the woman smiled slightly, then changed the subject and said seriously, "However, before God descends, there is a small problem that we need to solve."
"According to the oracle, within three years, a false god will appear on earth, influencing the arrival of God."
"The current false god is still very weak. We must find it before it grows stronger and then kill it."
When these words were spoken, the people in black robes around were somewhat surprised.
Would a false god appear in the human world?
Would it also affect the coming of their God?
Many people subconsciously thought of the recently popular "Natalie Russell".
"Could the false god indicated by the oracle be that freshman from the United Kingdom, named Natalie Russell?"
"Is the Russell you're talking about the freshman who got three SSS-grade mission ratings in the Supernatural Realm?"
"Yes, I think it's her, too."
"The achievements of that new student are astonishing. If a false god could truly appear on Blue Marble, it could only be her."
The woman quickly noticed the men in black robes murmuring.
She immediately inquired with everyone.
The woman was quite surprised after learning about Natalie Russell's achievements.
Three trips to the Supernatural Realm, and all three missions received an SSS-grade rating, breaking all records.
An unprecedented achievement.
The rewards from the Supernatural Realm were also incredibly amazing.
The woman immediately declared with certainty, "That Russell must be a false god from the oracle. We must do everything in our power to kill her as soon as possible."
"High Priest, this may not be easy."
A man in black robes said, "According to the intelligence I have, that new student is currently under tight protection by the powerful figures of the United Kingdom, and there is no way to find an opportunity to kill her."
"I don't want to hear your excuses for incompetence."
The high priest coldly replied, "Kill her at all costs."
...
After the men in black robes left the church, the number of bounties for Natalie on the dark web had increased significantly.
Some even offered a reward of a supernatural item for Natalie's corpse.
Those were auxiliary supernatural shoes that, when worn, increased speed by 10%.
This supernatural item immediately attracted a great deal of attention upon its release.
The previous monetary bounty was just a big deal, but it didn't attract the interest of supernatural experts.
Because once you became a supernatural powerhouse, there were too many ways to make money, so you would never be short of cash.
Now, the appearance of these supernatural shoes had tempted even the strongest individuals.
Especially for supernatural powerhouses who focused on speed, those shoes were the supernatural item they had dreamed of.
In battle, a speed advantage could often directly influence the outcome.
When news of the reward for a supernatural item reached the United Kingdom, countless netizens in the Kingdom launched a barrage of insults.
"Fuck you. Are these people just so jealous of others doing well?"
"Going to such lengths to target a young girl? That's utterly shameless."
"Damn it, I'm going to the University of Oxford. I'm going to protect Natalie."
"The bigwigs of the Round Table should take action. If any beasts dare to come, they must be wiped out."
...
Matthew got up the next morning and received the news.
He was also surprised to hear that someone on the dark web was offering a supernatural item as a reward for Natalie's life.
Then, Matthew's expression turned serious.
A pair of supernatural shoes that increases speed by 10% was of immeasurable value, and most importantly, it was not something you could buy just with money.
This time, many supernatural individuals would likely be tempted.
Matthew suddenly realized that he might have messed up Natalie's situation.
If he hadn't used her as a shield, perhaps none of this would have happened.
With that in mind, Matthew went to the campus, took out his phone, and sent a message to Natalie, asking her to meet him in the training hall's lounge.
Privacy was good, and the school conducted regular inspections, so no one dared install surveillance or eavesdropping devices in the lounge.
Natalie arrived as promised.
Upon meeting, Matthew then said, "Natalie, have you seen the information online? Someone on the dark web is offering a bounty on you using supernatural items."
Upon hearing this, Natalie nodded calmly and said, "My professor has already told me."
Matthew felt a little ashamed. "This is my fault. I'm the one who got you into trouble."
"It has nothing to do with you. If I have to suffer all this just because I got good grades in the Supernatural Realm, then I will still choose grades without hesitation." Natalie said, "On the contrary, I should thank you for allowing me to have everything I have now."
After a pause, Natalie continued, "For me, it doesn't matter whether there's a bounty or not. I won't be leaving the campus. The higher-ups have already sent many people to protect me. In addition, the principal will be returning from the Front Lines to be responsible for my safety. So, you don't need to worry about me at all."
Upon hearing this, Matthew was a little surprised.
Even the principal was being recalled from the Front Lines?
It seemed that three consecutive SSS-grade ratings had made Natalie even more valued by those above.
Then, the two chatted for a while longer.
Seeing that Natalie didn't care about the bounty on her head at all, Matthew didn't say anything more.
"That's right."
Matthew suddenly took out a pair of glasses from his pocket and said, "This should be a reward from the second layer of the supernatural realm. I brought it back from the third layer. It has a very magical effect."
After saying that, Matthew put on his glasses right in front of Natalie.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.104: New Identity
Ch.105: Emergency