Chapter 77: Leaving the Rift. Overloading Notifications
Silas stared at the orc’s corpse in silence. His mana was now very low. There wasn’t even a drop. He was exhausted for the very first time. This wasn’t like earlier with Gromda, no. This exhaustion came from his very core. But instead of feeling dread, he felt... happy. He felt like he’d flushed out every impurity from his body. He felt new.
His vision was flooded with countless notifications.
[You Killed an Exalted Orc King!]
[You Gained the Title: Exalted Orc Dominator.]
[Title Orc Chieftain has been nullified and removed.]
[You Gained the Skill: Orc King’s Vision.]
[You Gained the Skill: Orc King’s Strength.]
[You Gained +100,000,000 CP for Clearing the Rift.]
[You Gained +100,000 CP for Killing an Exalted Orc King.]
[Dagger Arts Leveled Up!]
[Martial Arts Leveled Up!]
[Prowess Leveled Up!]
[....
"System, turn off all notifications. Just sum up everything..." Silas muttered as he tried to move, only to stagger. He was almost falling when a strong pair of arms caught him. He turned his head up to see Gromda standing there, with Chloe standing beside her, smiles on their faces.
"You are very strong, mate," Gromda complimented him, making him smile.
"You too. Both of you," He said, causing the girls to blush. He then turned his gaze to the gigantic club of the monster.
"Gromda, help me touch the club."
Gromda practically carried him in a princess-carry towards the club. The sight was so comical that the cold, ice queen, Chloe, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. When they reached it, Silas touched the club and told the system to exchange it for CP.
While this was going on, Mr. Fatars had recovered quickly and was barking orders for everyone to prepare to leave the rift. He was sure that the authorities would have already seen the rift opening and send help.
***
And he was right. It had been two weeks, almost three, since Silas and the students entered the rift. The time difference between the two worlds was huge. A lot had happened. Valecrest couldn’t hide the news of the rift evolution from yellow to blue and had to come clean. This had gotten them into a lot of problems and strong backlashes they wouldn’t be getting out of anytime soon. The parents whose children were among the students who entered had sued the academy and done all sorts of stuff to the extent that Valecrest was no longer safe.
The Board had already given up and was in a meeting to plan its next course of action. They’d even lost an S-Rank student. This was hard for them. So imagine how they would feel when the rift team leader called to say the rift had opened. This could mean only one thing... The rift boss had been eliminated. With shaky movements, they rushed out of the conference hall, their destination: the rift.
***
Anna was in her office, injecting a concerning dose of caffeine. She had been broken more than a dozen times already after hearing the news of the evolved rift. She couldn’t sleep or work efficiently. Coffee had become her source of happiness. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was addicted to coffee. Two weeks was a long time for a woman in love who had lost her lover to break down. But apart from the coffee, one thing kept her going; otherwise, she might’ve committed suicide. And this wasn’t an exaggeration. If there was a downside to being marked by Silas, then this was it. She couldn’t live without him. That was also why she felt he was alive. Her computer screen was split, with one part showing records of students and healing services, while the other showed news and updates on the rift.
This had become part of her routine and the outlet for her hope and frustration. And, today, it paid off. One second, she was sitting behind her desk, drinking coffee. Next, she was already out of the door, her dark hair flying as she sprinted towards her car. She didn’t care anymore. She missed him. She didn’t care if the world saw her kissing him. SHE MISSED HIM. SHE MISSED SILAS ASHARD.
***
Silas felt the club disappear beneath his fingertips.
[Exchange Successful.]
[Exalted Orc King’s Club exchanged!]
[+8,500,000 CP.]
[Current CP: 108,900,300]
[Notifications summarized.]
[Summary:]
- New Title Acquired: Exalted Orc Dominator
- Previous Title Removed: Orc Chieftain
- New Skills: Orc King’s Vision, Orc King’s Strength
- Martial Arts increased significantly.
- Dagger Arts increased significantly.
- Prowess increased significantly.
- Physical parameters have grown.
- Mana Capacity has increased.
- Mana Control has improved.
- New hidden achievements unlocked.
[Further details can be viewed later.]
Silas nodded weakly.
"Later..."
He leaned against Gromda’s shoulder and closed his eyes for a few seconds. For once, he wasn’t thinking about becoming stronger or sex. He just wanted to sleep.
Outside the rift, the white portal had appeared nearly twenty minutes earlier. Thousands had already gathered, from military trucks, to medical teams, Government Awakened, and journalists, the Hunter Association, representatives from Valecrest, parents, and even several A-Rank Hunters had arrived. Nobody dared enter immediately. A blue rift wasn’t somewhere ordinary soldiers just walked into.
Finally, the order was given.
"Move!"
Hundreds of awakened soldiers rushed through the portal. Medical personnel followed behind them carrying stretchers and emergency supplies. The moment they entered, silence greeted them.
The battlefield stretched for kilometers, a broken mountain, collapsed cliffs, and entire forests erased from existence. Glaciers stood where plains should have been. The landscape looked less like a battlefield and more like two natural disasters had collided.
One of the A-Rank experts slowly looked around.
"What... happened here?"
Another crouched beside an enormous crater. "This wasn’t made by explosions. It was... punches."
His voice carried disbelief. They continued forward and found the students soon.
"We found survivors!" Dozens of students emerged from behind damaged rock formations. Medical teams immediately rushed over.
"Over here!"
"They’re alive!"
"Bring stretchers!"
"Treat the injured first!"
The students burst into tears. Christian cried openly, while Peter sat down the moment someone placed a blanket over him. Emma quietly watched the sky. It was finally over. Mrs. Loraine and the teachers exchanged exhausted smiles. Ryan Fatars released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding for a week.
One of the commanders approached him.
"Professor Fatars. What happened here?"
Fatars just pointed ahead. "...Keep walking."
Confused, the rescue force obeyed.
They reached the center of the battlefield, and everyone stopped. There, resting atop the enormous corpse of the Exalted Orc King were three figures. Silas sat lazily with his back against the giant’s shoulder, looking completely exhausted. Chloe sat quietly beside him, her white hair dancing in the wind. Gromda sat cross-legged nearby, chewing roasted meat from the sack Silas had secretly given her earlier.
She happily waved and several soldiers immediately reacted.
"ORC!"
"Weapons ready!"
"Kill it!"
Mana erupted as several Awakened drew their weapons. An A-Rank Hunter even took one step forward, but before anyone could attack...
"STOP!" Ryan Fatars’ voice exploded across the battlefield, causing everyone to freeze.
The commander frowned. "Professor?"
Fatars walked between the soldiers and Gromda.
"No one attacks. That orc is not hostile."
Several people stared at him as though he’d gone insane.
"Professor."
"It’s an orc."
"I know."
"It belongs to him."
Fatars pointed toward Silas.
"What?"
"A tamed monster."
The commander looked completely unconvinced.
"Professor... since when do orcs become tame?"
Fatars sighed. "I don’t know, but as you can see, the orc isn’t doing anything to him. I’ve spent twenty-seven years studying Rifts. I’ve never seen anything like this, but if you value your lives... don’t attack her."
Everyone looked toward the exhausted pink-haired young man, but Fatars continued.
"That young man is the one who killed the Rift Boss."
"...Impossible."
"He did. He is an S-Rank."
The commander slowly turned toward Chloe. "And her?"
"If she isn’t an S-Rank..." Fatars smiled tiredly. "...then rankings have lost all meaning."
"I don’t care," Chloe looked away.
