The apartnt was dim and quiet, save for the flickering lights and occasional cheering sound coming from a football ga on the oversized flatscreen. Empty beer cans littered the hardwood floor, and a half-eaten bag of chips slumped against the armrest of the expensive leather couch. On that couch, a man snored softly. He was broad-shouldered, unshaven, and still wearing yesterday’s slacks.
*Click*
A sudden sound echoed through the air as the front door unlocked and opened. In stepped a beautiful woman clad in a sleek black suit. As she approached, her elegant heels clicked against the floor like the ticking of a countdown. Hip-length black hair frad her sharp, pale features, and mirrored shades shielded her eyes even though it was very early in the morning.
She took one look at the living room ss and sighed.
"Guild Master," she said firmly.
The man leading the famous high-tier Crimson Dominion guild, which was one of the few organizations in the US that could match the Ashborn family’s New Dawn’s power level and influence, didn’t move.
She approached the couch, leaned down, and tapped his forehead with two fingers in a rather forceful manner. "Sir. There’s an ergency call from the guild council. Your presence has been requested."
He groaned and stirred, waving her hand away after a beer-fueled burp, which made the woman grimace at her boss with eyes of pure disgust. "Hnnngh... What now? Did those damned Russians send another bomber for the president or sothin’?"
She shook her head. "That wouldn’t be important enough to warrant this eting."
That finally got his attention.
One bleary eye cracked open. "... What?"
She straightened her spine, and after a brief search in her bag, she presented a bottle of luxurious perfu, which she sprayed right in her guild leader’s face. While the man was busy coughing and cursing her out of existence, she replied to his question with a perfect poker face. "Sothing happened in a dungeon. Sothing that’s never happened before."
"Unprecedented, huh?" he muttered after sending the woman a strong glare, which she accepted with a minute smirk. The guild master sighed before sitting up and scratching his beard. "Sobody solo a dragon? Find a legendary relic?"
She opened her tablet, brought up a video still, and turned it toward him.
"A man tad a boss monster."
He blinked. "...Tad?"
"Confird," she nodded. "Live footage that was uploaded to the Awakened Platform right after the stream ended without any edits or cuts being made to the footage. Title reads: ’Taming a Sexy Boss Monster.’"
He stared at the title for a long mont before his eyes sparkled with excitent.
"And the na?"
She hesitated, then answered. "Kaiden Grey."
A slow, knowing grin crept across the guild master’s lips as he leaned back into the couch, folding his arms behind his head. "Hah... Should’ve stayed in that stream instead of watchin’ this boring-ass football ga and passing out like a... Never mind."
He sighed, but his beautiful and dutiful subordinate was happy to help him out. "Like a filthy holess loser?"
"Miss Viera, your unreasonably harsh and spiteful attitude reminds of my wife. I don’t like it."
She smiled ominously. "Well, she is my mother, after all."
"Oh... right."
Her ominous smile deepened as her eyes narrowed into fiery slits. A vein throbbed on her temple as she hissed, "Other guilds are already on the move, so how about we stop stalling for ti, boss?"
"Right, right..."
With a heavy sigh, the football match on the screen was shut off. He stood and dressed, ready to have the eting with his colleagues.
As he seated himself in his magically reinforced transportation vehicle, the guild master had an amused expression on his face. "This kid’s gonna turn the world upside down..."
...
Geneva, Switzerland – United Awakened Association (UAA) Headquarters
In a windowless chamber deep beneath the marble spires of Geneva, twelve hooded figures stood around a circular obsidian table. Each had irises glowing with different colors—one red, another golden, another glacial blue—representing the awakened titans of their nations.
A paused holographic display artifact shone a picture above the table: Kaiden with hand petting the hazy-eyed, purring Bastet right as her transformation was just beginning.
"This... breaks protocol," murmured the French delegate.
"Or creates a new one," countered the German envoy, leaning forward with his eyes narrowed, hoping to unveil so previously unnoticed detail in the video Kaiden had uploaded.
The High Warden of Records, a silver-haired woman with a tallic voice, nodded. "We will observe. Quietly. This event cannot go unmonitored."
Operation Oracle: Initiated.
...
Beijing – Crimson Dynasty War Room
In a sprawling chamber carved from red jade and reinforced steel, military officers and robed awakened generals stared at the obscene footage.
Grand Strategist Zhao snapped his ornate fan shut. "Bring everything on Valhalla’s Sinners. Every mission, every mber. I want his blood type, his school grades, his favorite goddamn food."
A junior officer hesitated. "Even if the US protects him?"
Zhao’s voice turned cold.
"Yes.
...
Colorado, USA – ARC Division Subterranean Facility
Deep beneath the Rocky Mountains, a sleek control room thrumd with power. A dozen operators stared at satellite feeds and biotric scans.
"Sir," one called. "Subject Kaiden Grey just tad a boss-class monster. Footage uploaded globally."
An older man in a lab coat stood beside a massive wall display, rubbing his temple. "This man is a bundle of mystery... I have a feeling he’s either going to beco the world’s greatest asset... or its greatest threat."
He turned. "Activate Project: Chira Tar. Full recon. No direct contact unless necessary."
A hatch opened below, and black-suited operatives slid into place.
...
London – European Guild Coalition HQ
A massive oak table sat in the middle of a regal hall, adorned with sigils from the major guilds: Excalibur, Valkyrie Order, Duskborn, and more.
"We call first rights," shouted a Valkyrie rep. "He and his ladies perfectly suit our aesthetic and branding!"
"You an you want to dress them in feathers to have them model in your damned papers?" scoffed Excalibur’s silver-haired tactician. "We offer power and purpose, not just fa in the damned fashion industry."
The woman was about to lunge at the man for his infuriating statent when another voice sounded. A sultry, feminine one. "You two will just scare him away," purred Duskborn’s envoy. "Let the shadows guide him to us."
A war of words ensued.
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