Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Situation

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Situation

[Ancient Reel]

[Details: Contains a compressed smart-fibre ribbon capable of rapid extension, magnetic attachment, and autonomous retraction.]

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"Pretty useless, if I had to say." Valen mumbled as he stared at the device in his hand.

Aside from the fact that it possessed no rank, nothing else about it seemed intriguing. He shook his hand slightly, and a thin red ribbon burst forth from the device a moment later, attaching itself to the roof of the turbo car.

No matter how he pulled, it didn’t budge. Instead, it seemed as though the roof of the turbo car was going to be ripped off. Valen hurriedly stopped applying force and shook the device once more, retracting the red ribbon.

’Well, this could be used for snatching treasures or opening my door if I’m too lazy to get up.’ He thought to himself, stroking his chin.

Finding the Ancient Reel to be a bit intriguing, he decided to throw it into the ninth slot.

The turbo car soon came to a halt and descended before his home. He swiped his watch over the car and paid his bill before heading into the villa.

He boarded a floating platform and arrived at the balcony of his room. From there, he stepped into the familiar warm embrace of home.

Without hesitation, he collapsed onto the bed, feeling exhaustion overwhelm his very being. Just as thoughts of taking a nap occupied his mind, a knock sounded on the door.

He sat upright and tapped his Silver Watch, displaying a projection of the person outside. He was a solid-looking middle-aged man with wide shoulders and neatly kept hair. He was dressed in a black suit with a bow tie.

He seemed to be holding a package as he stared fixedly at the door. Valen knew him as the butler of the household, Mr Hector.

So he got off the bed and approached the door to open it.

"Greetings, young master. A parcel was sent in a while ago by the old master for you, but you weren’t around, so I held onto it." The middle-aged man greeted with a smile as he passed the small box in his hands over to Valen.

Valen was visibly surprised.

’Grandpa sent this to me? Just what could it be?’

He received the box and said happily: "Thanks a lot, Mr Hector. I’m sorry for the trouble. I evolved today, so I’m in a good mood. You and the other workers can take the day off to spend it with your families."

Hector was moved, and he responded in a happy tone: "Congratulations, young master. I also thank you on behalf of everyone in the household."

Valen nodded and closed the door. He believed that joyous occasions should be celebrated with close ones. As for sorrowful occasions? Well, he hadn’t informed anyone of the fact that he had almost lost his life today.

Sitting on the bed, Valen opened the small box, curious to see what his grandfather had sent him. He probably hadn’t handed it over this morning because he had ordered it and it hadn’t arrived yet.

When he opened the box, Valen saw a small glass bottle filled with green liquid. Next to the bottle was a silver ring with a black gemstone embedded in it.

"An Inventory Ring?" Valen’s eyes widened.

He knew Inventory Rings were very precious, yet his grandfather had managed to procure one for him. Since that was the case, then the bottle next to it shouldn’t be any less valuable, right?

Valen picked up the bottle and inspected it, only to see the words: S-Rank Nutrient Solution. His chest tightened once he saw this.

Back on the second floor of the system store, Valen had seen the price of this Nutrient Solution. It had been listed at 100,000 points.

Yet his grandfather hadn’t hesitated to spend such a massive amount of points to help him level up faster. Valen guessed that, more than anyone else, his grandfather was probably the most worried about his progress.

Although he had awakened the Twilight Gene, he was still behind compared to his peers. After all, he had spent three years without making any progress.

Valen’s eyes reddened with emotion as he clenched his fists.

’Don’t worry, Grandpa. I won’t disappoint you.’

He glanced into the small box once more to see if he had missed anything. When he was certain it was empty, he took the Inventory Ring from within and connected it to his Silver Watch’s ID.

But this time, he connected it to his other ID: Abyssal King.

After that, he decided to inspect the ring. It was a 15-Slot Inventory Ring.

It didn’t contain as many slots as his first ring, but Valen was still satisfied. He had exchanged precious data for a 30-Slot Inventory Ring, so who knew just how high the price had been before his grandfather could obtain a 15-Slot ring?

He was immediately surprised to notice that two of the ring’s slots were already occupied. He commanded the system to open the 1st Slot.

From it, he retrieved a long sabre as dark as ink. With confusion etched on his face, he retrieved the contents of the 2nd Slot, which happened to be a rolled-up note.

When he unfurled it, he realised it was written in Aaliyah’s handwriting.

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"Brother,

I’m relieved Grandpa finally decided to send you the items. I’ve been nagging him for hours, but he remained obstinate in his belief that men should learn to take care of themselves rather than rely on others.

However, a sudden change occurred when the President pushed forward the date of entry into the Astral Veil for your batch. It seems Grandpa knows something about it, but he refused to share.

All he said was that humanity was finally on the rise, but you were at a disadvantage due to your age and current level. He sent you the S-Rank Nutrient Solution and said you should level up as quickly as possible.

But that isn’t all. I feel like everyone’s going crazy. All the guilds and ancient households are madly purchasing Nutrient Solutions to bolster the levels of their new Evolvers. It seems they know something about the situation as well.

Just in case, I placed the Shadow Sabre inside the Inventory Ring. I dug it up in an ancient ruin in the past, and it’s incredibly sharp. As of now, I haven’t come across anything it can’t cut, but I suggest you use it sparingly.

Also, it comes as a pair. I have one, and you have the other, so don’t give the Sabre away — it’s our shared weapon.

I’ve decided to wait for you tomorrow at the transit station in the Astral Veil. Take care of yourself, and know that I’m always here for you if you ever need help.

Lots of love,

Your sis, Aaliyah."

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Valen’s expression slowly turned serious.

Just as he had thought, something indeed seemed off.

For now, he decided to push those thoughts aside as he controlled his breathing rhythm, glancing at the bottle of S-Rank Nutrient Solution with eager eyes.

He removed the seal and downed its contents in one go.

A warm feeling enveloped him as trophic rapidly spread through his body, merging with his flesh and bones while greatly strengthening them.

Unlike the absorption of trophic from coins or at the Energised Chambers, the trophic from the Nutrient Solution didn’t clog up but instead rapidly spread throughout his body.

It felt as though only a moment had passed when Valen opened his eyes. But the explosive strength surging through his body made him realise that the experience had lasted far longer than that.

Eager to see his progress, he summoned his profile and glanced at it.