Chapter 94: Support From the Organization
Logan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
So fast.
Even though he had expected it, actually witnessing her movement firsthand still felt absurd. There hadn’t even been a sound. One moment she stood several meters away, the next she was directly before him.
The pressure alone was suffocating.
Yet Logan’s expression remained calm.
"I’ve heard plenty," he replied with a faint smile. "It’s hard not to."
Linda studied him quietly.
Most students would’ve folded beneath her gaze by now. Avoided eye contact. Stuttered. Panicked.
Logan did neither.
Interesting.
"And yet you don’t seem nervous."
"I am," Logan answered honestly. "I’m just trying not to show it."
Who wouldn’t feel pressured standing before one of the strongest people in the world?
Of course, the nervousness came mostly from instinct. A subconscious reaction from someone infinitely weaker standing before a being at the peak.
Linda’s lips curved slightly wider.
"That’s usually the smarter choice."
The evening breeze swept past them, stirring strands of her silver-grey hair. Even standing this close, Logan could barely sense the limits of her strength.
It felt like staring into a calm ocean while knowing something monstrous rested beneath the surface.
Linda’s silver eyes remained fixed on him.
"Avery mentioned you quite a few times."
Logan paused internally.
That was dangerous information.
Avery wasn’t the type to casually speak about people unless she found them interesting enough to remember.
It seemed she had already started noticing him from the very first day he arrived at the academy. That was fortunate. After all, he needed to slowly conquer her as well.
Logan smiled lightly but said nothing.
Linda noticed his silence and continued anyway, heading straight to the point.
"The reason I’m here is to see if you’re worth placing attention on."
Logan understood what she meant, though he was slightly surprised.
Special talents were rare, but in the end, it all depended on who humanity’s defenders deemed worthy enough to invest in.
For Linda to personally come here meant they had already accessed his combat records, fighting ability, and potential, and concluded he was worth their attention.
The thought surprised him slightly, though he was equally pleased.
Initially, he hadn’t needed the association’s help. He believed he could accomplish everything on his own.
But things were different now.
The plot was likely no longer moving in his favor.
’Since the plot is no longer in my favor, then I’ll carve out a second path for myself.’
Logan’s thoughts spun rapidly.
He could never lose to anyone. Whether it be the chosen ones... or the gods themselves.
"I heard you awakened SSS-ranked space affinity from Daenerys," Linda said with a faint smile.
Logan nodded.
"The association has decided to support you with a few techniques. You may choose whichever suits you best."
Just as Logan had guessed.
The world truly possessed other spatial techniques beyond the one he originally believed existed.
’A decent consolation for losing the space technique to the Shadow.’
Linda flicked her hand lightly.
Three scrolls flew toward him.
They stopped midair before him, hovering silently.
Each radiated a different spatial fluctuation.
The first felt sharp and unstable, as though the surrounding space was constantly being sliced apart around it.
The second was calmer. Dense. Heavy.
The third barely emitted any fluctuations at all, yet for some reason, Logan’s eyes lingered on it the longest.
Linda silently observed his reaction.
"Spatial affinity users are extremely rare," she said. "Most die before they mature enough to become relevant."
Logan glanced at her.
"That comforting, huh?"
Linda ignored the sarcasm smoothly.
"The affinity itself is difficult to control. The stronger the technique, the higher the chances of self-destruction."
That part wasn’t exaggerated.
Space abilities were among the most absurd powers in existence, but they were equally dangerous to their wielder. One wrong calculation could sever limbs, collapse organs, or distort the body itself.
Even in the original novel, several space users had died from their own abilities before ever reaching higher ranks.
Linda folded her arms lightly beneath her chest.
"The association possesses very few space-related techniques. Most were either recovered from ancient ruins or inherited from dead awakeners."
Logan’s gaze returned to the floating scrolls.
"So these are all valuable."
"They are."
Linda’s tone remained calm.
"But value only matters if you survive long enough to use it."
Logan reached toward the first scroll.
The moment his fingers brushed against it, fragmented images flashed through his mind.
Compressed spatial blades.
Instant severance.
High lethality.
High instability.
’Too violent.’
It suited assassins more than him.
He moved toward the second scroll.
This time, the spatial fluctuations became noticeably heavier.
Distortion.
Compression.
Area control.
A technique focused on manipulating the density of space itself.
Powerful.
But slow.
Logan’s fingers finally touched the third scroll.
The instant he did, the surrounding air distorted faintly.
A nearly invisible ripple spread outward before vanishing just as quickly.
Linda’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh?"
Logan lowered his gaze toward the scroll.
Unlike the others, this one felt incomplete.
Not weak.
Incomplete.
Like a path that had never truly been finished.
"This one," Logan said softly.
Linda stared at him briefly.
"You chose faster than I expected."
"I can change it if you want."
"That won’t be necessary."
Her silver eyes lingered on the scroll in his hand.
"Most people avoid that technique."
Logan raised a brow slightly.
"Why?"
"Because nobody has successfully mastered it."
Of course.
Logan nearly laughed internally.
That explained the strange feeling coming from it.
"A failed technique?"
"Not exactly." Linda shook her head faintly. "The creator died before completing it."
That instantly caught Logan’s attention.
Spatial techniques weren’t things people casually created.
Especially incomplete ones.
"Who created it?"
Linda studied him for a moment before answering.
"A man called Elias Vaughn."
Logan’s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
That name...
He recognized it.
Not from the main story.
But from discarded notes he’d written years ago.
Elias Vaughn was originally supposed to become humanity’s strongest space affinity user before the idea got scrapped midway through planning the novel.
Because the power scaling became too absurd.
Logan’s grip on the scroll tightened slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"He disappeared inside an SS-rank origin gate over twenty years ago," Linda continued. "Only fragments of his research remained."
"And nobody learned it afterward?"
Linda shook her head.
"The technique has requirements most spatial awakeners can’t handle."
Logan lowered his gaze toward the scroll again.
That made sense.
If this truly was Elias Vaughn’s unfinished path, then its requirements were probably monstrous.
But for Logan?
This was practically treasure delivered directly into his hands.
Linda noticed the subtle shift in his expression.
"You seem more interested now."
"A little," Logan admitted honestly.
For the first time since arriving, a faint trace of curiosity surfaced in Linda’s eyes.
"You know," she said slowly, "most people your age would’ve asked about the strongest technique first."
Logan looked up at her.
"The strongest technique isn’t always the best one."
Linda stared at him quietly.
Then, after a moment, the corner of her lips curved upward again.
"Avery was right."
Logan blinked once.
"About?"
"You’re strange."
Logan smiled faintly.
"I’m starting to hear that a lot."
Linda’s gaze lingered on him for another second before she stepped aside slightly.
"You can leave now. The association representatives will contact you later regarding resources and future evaluations."
Logan nodded once.
"Thanks for the help."
"It’s an investment," Linda corrected calmly. "Not help."
Fair enough.
Logan turned and began walking away, the scroll still resting in his hand.
But after several steps, Linda suddenly spoke again.
"Logan."
He paused and glanced back.
The evening wind stirred her silver-grey hair once more, her calm eyes fixed directly on him.
"Don’t disappoint me."
There was no pressure behind the words.
No killing intent.
Yet somehow, that only made them feel heavier.
Logan held her gaze for a brief moment before smiling lightly.
"I wasn’t planning to."
...
Author’s note: what do you think of the Chapter? Also, do you think Elias is alive somehow? The plot is getting interesting, and there are quite a few things going on. I think it’s time to let off some steam.
