Seducing the Guideverse With My System — Raising an Anomaly [BL]

Chapter 115: _Screwed

Phoenix Flight HQ

Little Orion sat on the sofa with the best view of the television, a half-full glass of orange juice in one hand. That’s all he could do since his daddy left.

Watch the news.

A live report of recent events at the Echo Rift played on the screen. His eyes gleamed with a worried light as the reporter spoke from her desk.

"News getting to us now is that the SS-Rank Leviathan has been slain—thanks to the combined efforts of Hunter Irina Morozov and Hunter Magnus Ferguson." She began.

But there was no excitement in her voice. Rather her face was twisted with a grim expression that even Orion noticed.

"While that’s a cause for some celebrations," she continued as the screen shifted to a live scene from the Rift. "The humanoid entity hovering close to the Rift has gotten an official ranking... higher SS-Rank."

"This means it’s very close to being termed an SSS-Rank entity." A clip of the entity was shown.

Orion’s fingers tightened subconsciously on his juice, his legs curling into the sofa. Like he was afraid the creature would find a way to creep into the room.

"The most disturbing part," the reporter adjusted on her seat, "is that this... void-faced entity as it’s being called, hasn’t made any moves to attack actively. It appears to be... waiting for something."

"Meanwhile, a team of Hunters organised by Hunter Gabriel Silverstone has successfully breached the Rift. They are expected to be out with any info that could help us close the Rift. Permanently."

Those words made Orion’s brows knit. Then a small smile curved the corner of his lips. "... Daddy?"

He could remember his daddy telling him how he might not make it back. Because he was heading into the Rift.

"If uncle Gabriel and papa are there with him, they’re definitely going to make it." He nodded confidently to himself.

Just then, the reporter pressed a finger to her ear. "Oh—while we get more live clips from the scene, we’ll be bringing in a dungeon Rift expert, Professor..."

Unbeknownst to the little boy, who was already zoning out from the news... he wasn’t alone. Just outside the living room door, a presence lingered.

Waiting.

This ’presence’ was actually an A-Rank Esper who had ties with none other than Guide Han Jae-won. His abilities were intangibility and invisibility, giving him the codename ’Ghost’.

Perfect for sneaking into places he wasn’t supposed to be in.

’All I have to do is grab him,’ he pulled out a syringe. With a dosage enough to instantly knock out a six-year-old. ’I wonder what Han wants with him.’

He shrugged, phasing past the door and tiptoeing toward the boy. The closer he got, the higher he lifted the syringe. Ready to strike the second he gets near enough.

However, just when he got within three meters of the sofa—

—Orion’s neck lazily snapped to him. His golden eyes stared right at him.

"My daddy said I shouldn’t let anyone come in." The boy sounded calm. Eerily calm. "Who are you? Did he... did he send you?"

The Esper was left petrified with shock, a deep nerve-wracking cold biting into his bones. ’How can he see me?’

His fear intensified when Orion decided to hop out of the sofa. The kid tilted his head—his eyes seeing right through the man’s disguise.

He wore a simple long-sleeve sweater and black pants. Something about the man rubbed off wrongly on Orion though.

"You..." the kid squinted hard. "You know I can see you, right?"

Ghost was seconds away from charging at the kid when suddenly—his invisibility faded away. He noticed the shift in his body, staring down at himself.

"I..." terror tightened around his chest. "I... how did this—"

"You’re one of the bad guys," Orion’s eyes narrowed with an ominous light. "Aren’t you?"

Something about the way this simple-looking kid said those words made Ghost want to give up his life secrets. He was no expert... but he knew instantly that he was screwed.

★★★★★

Norfolk Virginia, Inside The Echo Rift

The grotesque core seemed to pulse brighter the longer Ambrose and the others stared at it. The Guide in particular felt his stomach turn with unease.

Each time a new incomplete beast body clawed its way out of the white and black mass only to dissolve back in, all he could think about was fleeing the fuck out of here.

But how? There were no exits and Gabriel had clearly stated he couldn’t risk teleportation or portalling.

"This... this pressure," Devon muttered beside him. "That’s easily above S-Rank."

"Probably very close to being above SS-Rank too," Valentine added, forehead creased with grim lines.

Viktor, whose head was finally away from the edge of going berserk, heaved a heavy breath. "Who’s volunteering to go check it out first? I vote Valentine."

Ambrose rubbed his forehead while Devon scolded.

"Now’s not the time for joking around, Viktor."

"And who said anything about joking?" The ice Prince’s tone was sterner now, his head swerving to Valentine. "He dragged us into this mission. And now he’s telling us he thinks the thing is alive."

Valentine angled his neck to him, more amused than agitated. "I preferred you better when you were one second away from insanity," he paused, cutting Ambrose a look. "Amazing how that changed so fast."

While Ambrose tried his hardest to avoid eye contact, Viktor dared to size up Valentine, shrugging off Devon’s attempt to hold him.

"What are you insinuating?"

"You’re way over your head." Valentine drawled with a dry chuckle. "What happened to the level-headed, carefree Russian prince?"

"He might fucking die if you don’t—"

"Guys, can we not?!" Ambrose snapped, unable to take the pressure anymore. He dragged his eyes between the Necromancer and S-Rank. "This is supposed to be a team mission. If we’re checking out the core... we need to do it together."

The amusement on Valentine’s face faltered while Viktor flung his head away with a scoff. But then the latter didn’t say anything else, silently telling himself to calm down.

[I’ll keep an eye on that one if I were you.] Aura warned. [You might’ve gotten him out of critical instability, but he’s still prone to falling back in.]

Ambrose didn’t get the chance to respond.

A violent pulse of aether from the core shook the cavern, sending a few cracks spiderwebbing through the ground. The team struggled to keep their footing, Ambrose accidentally bumping into Viktor.

The latter was quick to grab him; one arm wrapped around him and the other around his waist.

Devon’s heart skipped a beat the second it happened.

[WARNING: SS-Rank Leviathan essence being absorbed by Echo Rift core.]

Ambrose’s cheeks—still reddened because of the way Viktor caught him—instantly got drained of colour.

Well, bloody hell.

"Look." Viktor let go of him, pointing at the veins etched on the walls and the ones connected to the mass.

They all flared with a brighter glow, sparks of visible aether thrumming through them. And heading for the core. Before their eyes the core began vibrating erratically, going through a process of shrinking then bulging into something larger.

Everyone subconsciously inched back as the incomplete monsters sank deeper into the mass. Then—it stopped, the energy pulses and bulging halting as well.

Silence stretched through the cave. The team exchanged looks, all showing signs of discomfort.

Valentine was at the verge of saying something when a baritone so loud it rolled through bone, bounced off the walls of the cave.

"You... are not meant to be here."