CHAPTER 6 — "THE MENACE AWAKENS"
Sirens still blared across Ravenwood campus as emergency guild responders wrapped the dungeon perimeter. Students huddled outside, trembling, replaying the chaotic attack in their minds. Murong Yuer stared blankly at the cracked earth where Long Hao had stood moments ago—moving like a phantom, striking like a blade.
She swallowed hard.
How had she not noticed?
Long Hao, meanwhile, leaned casually against a tree, arms crossed, looking utterly unfazed by the fact that he had just fought off a dungeon emergence with partial unsealing.
The guild envoy returned, flanked by two armored awakeners. His expression was tight.
"Student Long Hao," he said. "Your combat performance exceeds registered standards. For safety reasons, we must conduct a private evaluation—"
Long Hao raised an eyebrow.
"For your safety? Or mine?"
The envoy stiffened. "This is standard procedure. You demonstrated an ability that—"
"—you can't categorize?" Long Hao cut in smoothly.
The envoy faltered.
Long Hao pushed himself off the tree, stepping forward slowly—predator-like. The envoy subconsciously stepped back.
Students watching whispered:
"He's scary…""Why does he look like he's about to kill someone?""Are his eyes… glowing?"
They were. A faint crimson tint spiraled at the edges.
The system flickered a warning.
[Caution: Host is attracting attention. Concealment advised.]
Long Hao smirked.
"Oh? You want me to hide my talent, right?" he murmured softly, only the system hearing him.
He tilted his head, voice dipping into a dangerous calm.
"But that doesn't mean I need to hide my power, too."
The system pulsed in alarm.
[Warning. Public power display will increase—]
Long Hao ignored it completely.
He stepped toward the envoy. Every footstep radiated a pressure that shouldn't have existed in a "talentless" student. The envoy's knees nearly buckled.
"I'm not going anywhere," Long Hao said. "And if you try to take me by force—"
A shiver ran across the ground.Void Flicker activated on its own.The air dimmed around him, sound thinning like oxygen was being stripped away.
"—you won't enjoy the outcome."
The two armored awakeners instantly raised their weapons; instincts screamed danger. But before they could react further, the dungeon behind them shuddered—collapsing inward with a thunderous echo. A final pulse of Rift energy burst outward, blowing dust into everyone's faces.
When the shock settled, Long Hao was gone.
Completely.Effortlessly.As if he had never been there.
Students gasped. Murong Yuer's heart skipped. The envoy swore under his breath. Even the system paused, unable to track how Long Hao had instinctively merged Void Flicker with natural terrain.
[…Host used Void Flicker at 130% efficiency. Analysis incomplete.]
Long Hao reappeared on a rooftop three buildings away, hands in pockets, staring down at the scrambling guild officials.
He smiled lazily.
"A talentless student, right?" he said to himself. "Better make sure they keep believing that."
Below, the envoy shouted urgently for reinforcements. Teachers murmured in panic. Rumors spread like wildfire:
Had a forbidden awakener appeared?Was Long Hao a threat?What exactly did he awaken?How did he move like that?
Long Hao's presence left a ripple across the entire district.
He didn't care.
He turned away, leaping lightly to the next rooftop, his silhouette cutting across the setting sun like a dragon returning to the sky.
For the first time in years, Long Hao felt alive.
[CHAPTER ENDS]