Chương 32: THE REAL INCIDENT (1)

"It was definitely not an ordinary incident," said the woman. Her voice was calm and refined; but it carried an unmistakable weight. It was not loud, yet it cut cleanly. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, slender fingers resting lightly against her knee. She had pale skin, long crimson hair cascading down her back, flawless features untouched by time. She was wearing brand items, from top to bottom. She looked like she belonged on the cover of a luxury magazine..

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yoo Hwa-rin, The Flame Queen Guild Leader of the Crimson Tower Guild Vice-head of the Yoo Family Rank: S-3 National Rank: 3 —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Her gaze slid toward the old man at the head of the table.

"It's 2091," she continued smoothly.

"I don't believe the Association's detection system is so weak that it cannot detect a rift hidden in an underground space. The Association should've been able to handle something like that…"

"So," she said, "What really happened, Mr. Tae?" Tae Won-shik leaned back slightly in his chair, one gloved hand resting atop the table. The black eyepatch over his left eye made his gaze feel heavier than it already was.

"Isn't that why we have gathered here?" he replied calmly.

"To discuss?"

"Then, let's hear it," said the man sitting opposite Hwa-rin. His voice was sharp, calm and cold. He had a long face and athletic build. He had smooth black hair that brushed the collar of his overcoat, his posture relaxed yet coiled. He was wearing all black. Everything about him radiated controlled danger.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seo Min-woo, The Night Blade Guild Leader of the Black Raven Guild Heir of the Seo Family Rank: S-2 National Rank: 4 —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Tell us, Mr. Tae," Min-woo pressed. Won-shik's fingers tapped once against the tabletop.

"We will start the discussion when Mr. Han arrives."

"Tch…" The sound came from the broad-shouldered man sitting beside Min-woo. He had a masculine face and short hair. His classy suit was straining faintly over his massive build. He looked like he was built for strength. His beard twitched as his lips curled in mild contempt.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baek Sang-hoon, The Iron Anchor Guild Leader of the Iron Blood Guild Head of the Baek Family Rank: S-2 National Rank: 5 —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sang-hoon leaned back, arms crossed.

"Why do we have to wait for him as always?" He said roughly.

"Is he the only one who is busy? So what if he's the top National Ranker? We're all in the top five as well. Why does only he get special privileges?" Min-woo nodded faintly in agreement. But Won-shik did not raise any voice. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"It's not about rank privileges," he replied calmly.

"He is not only the top National Ranker and the leader of one of the top five guilds. He is also the Vice-head of one of the most prestigious families in this country. And he has also assisted with our investigation directly. His presence is of absolute importance."

"Tch…" Sang-hoon snickered again. This rootless bastard dares talk back to me. From the beginning, I was never in favor of bastards like him being in a position like that, exactly for this reason. If not for this power struggle… But his thoughts were cut off.

"This is a matter of national safety," said the man sitting beside Hwa-rin. His tone was even polite, yet something about it made Sang-hoon stiffen.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choi Min-seok, The Summoner Supreme Guild Leader of the Silver Fang Guild Vice-head of the Choi Family Rank: S-4 National Rank: 2 —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------"I would advise that you rather not let your ego cloud your judgment," Min-seok continued. Sang-hoon's lips twitched.

"What?" he muttered.

"And try to say nicer things; people will dislike you less." Sang-hoon's eyes flared for a second.

"Y-You…" But he cut himself off, breathing in slowly. He had somehow held back. He said,"Where the hell is he anyway?"

"He said he was on the way," Min-seok replied.

"He might walk in-" The door suddenly opened with a crisp sound.

"Good morning, everyone," said a man, entering the room. He had a handsome masculine face. He was muscular, tall, with wavy blonde hair and sharp eyes. He looked like he belonged on a battlefield rather than this boardroom. He was in red and gold raid attire, the emblem of a dragon stitched proudly across his shoulders.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Han Ji-won, The Heavenly Dragon Guild Leader of the Heavenly Dragon Guild Vice-head of the Han Family Rank: S-5 National Rank: 1 —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Good morning, Mr. Han," Won-shik said.

"Please, take your seat." Ji-won nodded, walking to the empty chair beside Min-seok.

"Sorry for being late," he said casually.

"I've got a raid scheduled after this. I was busy preparing." He sat. Hwa-rin leaned forward slightly.

"Then, let's start immediately." Won-shik nodded his head.

"Of course. I will start explaining from before the rift outbreak happened…" He continued, "Yesterday evening, our Rift detection system started picking up unusual readings. It sensed a massive influx of mana nearby."

"What's unusual about that?" Sang-hoon muttered.

"Isn't that normal?"

"The readings behaved differently from the usual formation of a Rift. It was increasing extremely fast and violently at first. But it abruptly stabilized at one point. And eventually we detected that a rift had formed ""Wait, wait, wait…" Hwa-rin interrupted.

"Why are you talking about a Rift that formed yesterday? What's the connection?" Won-shik continued, somewhat ignoring the question, "We were attempting to pinpoint its location. But…"

"But what?" Min-woo pressed.

"The readings suddenly went off." The room fell silent.

"Which meant," Won-shik said slowly, "that the Rift had already cracked open." Everyone except Ji-won said collectively, "What?!"

"What do you mean it suddenly cracked open? You mean this gate appeared yesterday?" Hwa-rin said sharply.

"Yeah. How is that possible? It takes a week for a rift to open," Min-seok muttered. Won-shik continued, still somewhat ignoring the question, "We were not prepared for an outbreak like this," Won-shik continued.

"We issued public alerts, dispatched nearby rifters, mobilized our teams; but the outbreak had already begun." Min-woo's fingers curled slowly.

"We understand that," he said.

"Now tell us the cause." Won-shik exhaled softly.

"We are not sure," he said.

"But based on the mana fluctuation readings, the formation behavior, and what we found after our investigation…" He paused. Every pair of eyes in the room fixed on him.

"We speculate that…" The silence stretched; thick and heavy. Hwa-rin's fingers tightened. Min-woo leaned forward. Sang-hoon's temple started sweating. Min-seok narrowed his eyes. Ji-won's eyes closed, preparing for the reveal.. Won-shik said in a serious and heavy tone, "It was an artificial Rift."