The surge in the background was a catastrophe that could hardly be described as just an incident.
They almost witnessed the birth of a demon right next to the European region.
The era of peace, celebrated by the masses, nearly collapsed in an instant.
It was a disaster of that magnitude, yet it took some time for the public to learn about it.
This was due to the association's extensive information control.
Under normal circumstances, such incidents would have been reported, but this time, the scale was entirely different.
Even the mere leak of information could have triggered a Great Depression.
It was something that could induce panic attacks in those who still remembered the chaos of the past.
While the surge in the background was being successfully contained, a panic attack from the outside would have been uncontrollable.
Of course, the information had already spread to those who needed to know, but since they had requested silence, there were no blatant reports.
The silence was easily maintained.
Whenever information started leaking, the association would simply cut off the network and "take care of it" directly.
There was no faction that wanted to offend the association, which # Nоvеlight # might have been making its return.
About two weeks had passed since the surge began.
[Quietly fought war in the ‘European-Russian region’ — Catastrophe Occurred] [Association 'Fighting for Global Order and Peace' Supporting Forces and the Background of the Catastrophe being Suppressed] [Catastrophe declaration occurring after 40 years. ‘A sign of chaos?’]
...
[Real-time trending keywords] [#1 Background] [#2 Catastrophe] [#3 Demon] [#4 European-Russian Region] [#5 Association General Mobilization Order]
As the information control was lifted, the world was in a stir.
The topic of the background surged, blending reality and virtual spaces.
‘It’s a mess.’
Daera, lying back on her bed and aimlessly browsing the internet, thought this to herself.
...
Miraculously surviving, Daera remained on the battlefield.
To be more precise, she remained by Atrah’s side.
"I miraculously returned, but I have no home to return to."
Daera’s family died in an accident when she was young, and her home was destroyed by the same disaster.
Left alone, she was almost sent to an orphanage but happened to awaken her powers and entered the academy instead.
During her time at the academy, she lived in the dorms.
But Daera was swept into the dungeon surge and went missing.
As time passed, she was naturally declared dead and her identity erased from the academy’s records.
Now, she couldn’t return to the academy.
Thus, with no connections left, Atrah’s side became the most comfortable place for Daera.
She could have followed Ihayul, but she stayed here.
In the battlefield, where monsters poured out, Daera’s abilities were extremely useful.
“If I contribute to the monster subjugation here, I could make a nice profit.”
She had a calculated thought.
If she added her efforts to the subjugation, she could be rewarded.
Looking around, the situation seemed favorable, and right next to her was Atrah, who could vouch for her identity.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
For Daera, who had just returned from being missing and had nothing, this was a perfect opportunity to restart.
“Master will help me with everything, but...”
Wasn’t it rude to keep asking for help? Even though she was a disciple, it was better to try doing what she could on her own.
That was her thought, but...
Lying on her bed, Daera absentmindedly scratched her stomach and suddenly scanned the surroundings.
The accommodations at the rear of the defense line.
This was the facility assigned to Daera.
But it was magnificent. It wasn’t actually adorned with gold, but the quality of the facilities was excellent.
“Hmm...”
Daera’s expression grew complicated. She sighed deeply and glanced at her own hand.
Zzt! A tiny spark flared from her hand.
It was the unique ability she manifested after falling into the background.
The self-proclaimed name was "Thunderbolt."
As the name suggested, it was an attribute-based ability that controlled lightning.
The attribute itself was common.
But there was a major difference between ordinary lightning abilities and Daera’s power.
“Output.”
An enormous output.
Even monsters that were much stronger than her were struck down by the Thunderbolt.
It was the key factor in her survival in the background.
“But I didn’t expect it to be this strong.”
Having recently fought on the battlefield, Daera wore a strange expression.
She hadn’t done much.
While defensive structures, golems, and necromancers held off the monsters, she kept her distance and took them down.
That alone was enough.
Just sending out lightning at the monsters was a huge contribution.
Even the people waiting around, as well as Daera herself, were left in awe.
“Why is it so strong?”
She knew her output was strong, but when she actually used it, it was far more powerful than she had imagined.
Most monsters died instantly without leaving a trace once struck. Even monsters that exceeded the average tier were fatally affected by Thunderbolt.
In the background, there had been no comparative reference, so she didn’t realize the truth.
"...Then...”
“Oh.”
At that moment, the front door opened by itself.
But Daera didn’t react sensitively. She simply shifted her legs and greeted the newcomer.
“Welcome back~”
The person who walked through the door was Atrah.
Although Daera was assigned a separate accommodation, Atrah was staying in the same facility.
“...Sigh...”
But Atrah sighed unintentionally. She pressed her forehead and scanned the room.
The dazzling room... filled with all sorts of trash.
Leftover snack bags, remnants of lunch boxes, soda bottles...
In the brief time she had stepped out, it had turned into a trash heap.
“Daera, what is all this...”
“Uhm... I was going to clean it up later.”
At Atrah’s deep sigh, Daera flinched.
She looked around the room but then turned her head away, avoiding her gaze.
“...Well, eat and clean up quickly.”
“Okay...”
She was about to sigh again, but she swallowed it back inside.
It had always been like this. Atrah had trouble scolding Daera.
Now, the situation was special.
Atrah looked at the piles of snack bags scattered on the floor.
There were so many. Even considering Daera’s large appetite, it was a lot.
“She must have only been able to eat monsters there...”
She must have been starving. Thinking that, Atrah couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.
“...By the way, has the meeting finished?”
Daera, with her mouth full of snacks, asked while glancing at Atrah.
Atrah gave Daera a strange look before nodding.
“Yeah, I came right after it ended.”
“Any important news?”
“No, just that the surge is showing signs of slowing down. If the surge ends, the focus will shift to cleanup and preparations for return.”
“Oh, finally...”
Daera’s eyes lit up at the mention of “return.”
Even though the situation was favorable, the battlefield was a place of slaughter. Everyone must have wanted to return home and rest.
“Well, yeah. I thought the surge would end soon since high-tier monsters aren’t appearing anymore.”
As Daera said, the surge seemed to be nearing its end.
The encroachment of space had retreated, and the appearance of monsters had clearly decreased.
Most notably, the number of high-tier monsters had drastically dropped.
Even Atrah, temporarily attached to the strike team, had been doing nothing recently, just holding meetings and spending time with Daera.
“...”
“Nom nom...”
Daera lay on the bed, constantly munching on snacks.
Atrah, who had been staring at her, sat on the edge of the bed, reached out, and began to pet Daera’s head.
Daera, her mouth full of snacks, froze.
“...Gulp. Master, your head-petting skills have really improved.”
“Don’t say nonsense.”
“It’s not nonsense. Wasn’t it you who taught the priest from scratch? How much do you think you’ve petted him? Huh? Look how far you’ve come?”
“...You’re teasing me.”
Only after hearing Daera’s giggle did Atrah smile in return and continue to pet her head.
“Have you thought about what you’ll do next?”
“...Not really.”
“Is that so?”
Daera, feeling the hand on her head, buried her face in the pillow.
What should she do next?
She had thought about it a lot, but nothing felt right.
Her unique ability had improved so much that her options had widened.
With more choices, her thoughts became more complicated, and the decision was harder.
“How about coming to Siyoram?”
“Huh?”
So Atrah’s suggestion was completely unexpected.
Daera quickly looked up, and Atrah calmly continued.
“Considering the time that’s passed since your disappearance, it’s a bit late, but it’s not impossible for you to enroll.”
“Huh...? But the regular enrollment period and my age...”
“Recommendation is still open.”
“Recommendation? From who...”
Ah.
Daera’s eyes widened. Atrah nodded.
“Despite how it looks, I’m a professor. You can take the entrance exam with my recommendation, and if you want more, I can even ask Liana for a recommendation.”
“...Siyoram?”
Daera blinked blankly.
Siyoram.
She had taken the entrance exam before graduating from middle school but failed.
She didn’t have high hopes and didn’t think much of it when she failed.
But now, she could enter?
“Of course, there will be an assessment, but... I’m sure you’ll make it.”
Atrah gently petted Daera’s hair.
“What do you think? Do you want to give it a try?”
“Uhm... Since you’re a professor there... Well, if I can get in, I guess it would be nice...”
“Really?”
Atrah nodded and stood up.
Since she had already made up her mind, there was no need to hesitate.
In fact, she had asked, but Atrah wanted Daera to enroll in Siyoram.
Stepping out of the room, Atrah immediately contacted the vice-chancellor.
‘If recommending is generally impossible, I could use the debt I mentioned earlier.’
After a bit of a delay due to magical interference, she was finally able to get through.
“What? What do you mean?”
There was no time to use normal authority, let alone a debt.
Atrah stared blankly, mouth agape.
Her disciple’s actions were much faster than her ability to grasp her master’s intentions.