"That will be all. Thank you for your cooperation, and I apologize for taking up so of your ti unrelated to player academics."
After twenty to thirty minutes, the seemingly eternal interrogation ca to an end. Ayleen Mayfield then left Russell and the others in the Disciplinary Committee Office with a sigh of resignation.
'What a soft-hearted woman.'
Russell inwardly thought as he glanced at his younger sister from the side of the long couch they were seating on.
Although Ayleen beca the youngest SS rank player in the human domain, she wasn't showing arrogance in any way, unlike so players who managed to co by sothing that made them strong, then caused them to be arrogant.
'But, it's probably because we're minors except for Azalea.'
"...Oppa, did we do the right thing...?"
Even though Ayleen left, Russell felt his heart wouldn't calm down at any second due to what had just transpired.
He didn't expect Artorious Hall, Samantha's father to just randomly ordered Ayleen to ask them if they knew sothing about the appearance of the Close Mystery Tower based on their experience in the first appearance of the Micro-Strayed Dungeon.
'Did he try to pull us out of nowhere?'
Ayleen didn't tell them what Artorious Hall tried to do, but, Russell, as the author of his unpublished novel, knew about Artorious' Skills.
'If that's the case... F*ck! When did that happen?!'
He looked at his companions with concern because if Artorious Hall attempted to pull them from wherever they were across the Orion Continent, it wouldn't work if his skill was cast the mont they visited Ary in the Chaos Training Grounds.
'Oh, f*c-'
Without even a few minutes had passed since Ayleen left them, a crack as though the space was made of glass appeared. Then, in that split second, Russell, Freya, Alie, and Azalea were sucked into the glass-like space as though they weren't in the Disciplinary Committee Office in the first place.
...
Obelisk City, Hall's Family Residence, a kiloter away from the Obelisk Academy.
Artorious Hall, standing behind a massive tree in their residence's wide backyard recalled the System's ssage he received when he was in the eting just after the World Announcent occurred.
[The target you are forcibly summoning is out of reach.]
The System notified him the sa thing four tis for four people; exactly the number of the students who discovered the first Micro-Strayed Dungeon.
He maintained his seriousness while looking at the sky that just entered its night as the Sun set itself through the horizon.
After pondering for so ti, he received a ssage from one of his associates in the Obelisk Organization, cutting off his ethereal thoughts as though he was seeing the world from a very different perspective.
...
Received: 6:34 P.M.
- "Sir Artorious, I talked to the students who discovered the first Micro-Strayed Dungeon. Their statents were the sa as before, nothing changed even though they had lied about one thing.
They also said that they didn't know anything about the Tower of Growth. That's all Sir."
...
"I see..."
Artorious muttered, not bothering to reply to Ayleen Mayfield, instead, an idea ca to his mind.
He snapped his fingers just like he did while he was in the eting where the first opening of the Close Mystery Tower was confidentially discussed.
[Activating Skill: Glass Gravitation (SSS )]
[The designated targets can be pulled through except for one.]
Without hesitation and without showing any emotions, he proceeded in activating his skill.
At that mont, four oblong mirrors floating vertically ca into his view. Then these mirrors contained the view of each individual in question.
The Skill: Glass Gravitation could pull any individual from 10,000 km. as long as Artorious ingrained in his mind the na of the targets.
Without wasting any second, under his cue, the four mirrors broke and the four individuals manifested themselves in reality; they were frozen in fear by the sudden summoning as they fell to the ground in front of him.
But, with the unknown that had happened, he didn't lay back as he proceeded to do what was necessary.
[Activating Skill: Eye of the Mirror Reality (SSS )]
...
'F*ck! How did it co to this?!'
Russell felt like he underestimated Artorious Hall's thought process.
Although he's one of the characters he had written about in his failed, unpublished novel; due to the existence of Untouched or Unknown Elents, he never thought that maybe the behavioral patterns would sohow change.
Based on what he rembered, Artorious Hall beca a cold man after the disappearance of his wife, Samantha's mother, which was still nowhere to be found even to this day. With that, he neglected his daughter as it reminded him of his wife who mysteriously disappeared.
Although he sohow loved his daughter, he barely made ti for her and had used his position and "work" as an excuse; which caused Samantha to be alone most of the ti.
'Sh*t!'
Russell cursed in his mind; for so ti now, the Goddess of Night had barely shown "Her" presence even through the simple System notifications. He knew that he couldn't just trust his safety and his companions with "Her", but at this mont, he deeply hope inwardly that "She" would intervene in any way possible.
Even though Artorious Hall wasn't releasing the pressure befitting of the SSS rank player, the current Strongest Player in the human domain, Russell felt like his heart was jumping abnormally just from the gaze of the man in front of him.
Azalea — not Ary — who had no idea what just happened didn't dare to look at the man standing in front of him as though she was being crushed by sothing immaterial, while Freya and Alie had cold sweat on their faces as chills ran down their spine; they couldn't think straight as though their thoughts solidified like a glass, unable to flow.
"What are you?"
Artorious Hall's deep, dignified voice reverberated on the lawn of his residence, far from the busy maids and security guards. Even though they sohow see him, they wouldn't dare to open their mouths about anything happening at this mont.
"S-sir Artorious...? Is that you...? W-why are we here?"
Russell played the ignorance card as he stood up from the ground and took a look at the man in front of him.
Artorious' gray eyes felt like dull, broken glass, devoid of emotions, he has grayish-white hair and a well-built body. His height was at least more than 184 cm.
"I-I don't understand, Sir, w-why are we here?"
"S-sir Hall, c-can you explain to us the situation?"
Azalea spoke after Russell, slightly composing herself, but still didn't dare to look in the eyes of the man in front of her as she bowed her head, seemingly having a staring contest on the greeny ground due to so grass.
...
Without minding the words of the students, Artorious spoke sothing unrelated.
"Do you know the nature of everything?
" From the simple trees that sprouted from the ground;
"Music that prevailed after the Ergence;
"Any beings in this world, material or immaterial and;
"Humans like us... in my eyes that reflect the nature of reality, are co–..."
After a few seconds, Russell and the others had a confused look on their faces due to the sudden stop of words from Artorious' mouth.
Then, at that mont, Artorious slowly reached out to his gray eyes as his vision beca dark.
...
Russell's heart thumped, while Freya and the others didn't know what to do.
'What just happened? F*ck!
He cursed in his mind, as he felt like everything that was happening before the opening of the Tower of Growth seed very astray, to the point that even if he made so anticipation, it would be out of it.
"Sir Hall! Are you alright?"
Azalea approached Artorious Hall who fell to his knees, covering his gray eyes as though he beca blind.
Without answering Azalea's question, he snapped his fingers, sending her and the others back from where they were.
...
After a few minutes, Artorious stood up, leaned on the massive tree, then read the System ssages, but this ti, it appeared with the red font color.
[The Constellation, 'One Who Overlaps with Reality' is in great danger!]
[Your Authority: Glass Reality is in jeopardy!]
These two above System ssages were from before his gray eyes went dark.
[The Constellation, 'One Who Overlaps with Reality' has asked you to let go of the players you have forcibly summoned!]
[Your Authority: Glass Reality has been salvaged.]
Through his instinct that sothing went wrong, Artorious did the order of his Constellation before he even read the third System's ssage.
Since his wife's disappearance, he hated the 'unknowns', and if he encountered one, he tends to solve them as quickly as possible so that what happened with his wife wouldn't happen to others in any form or shape.
That's why when the four students — except for Azalea — discovered the first Micro-Strayed Dungeon, but lied about "how" and "when" they stumbled upon it, he didn't hesitate to carry out his duty, especially it concerned the first encounter with an unknown dungeon.
But, at this mont, it seed like he had inadvertently pried into sothing he shouldn't.
...
In the Mirror Dinsion, the World of Reality that's made of glass.
A non-human being with the sa physical features as a human apart from the 12 pupil-less transparent-like eyes this being has, and the absence of the human reproductive system; spoke to a black-veiled woman that suddenly appeared in his world.
"Who are you?"
Although he didn't have the biology of a man, his voice was deep and contained the power of the Lun Heart; the heart that each Constellation has.
The black-veiled woman, holding a spade-shaped fan in her right hand that's covering the view of her mouth, replied nonchalantly.
"Ask your champion to let go of the players he forcefully summoned."
"Why would I do that?"
The Constellation of this world replied in a still deep voice that echoed everywhere, even though this world of glass that reflects everything was so massive than the Post-Ergence Earth.
"I see... ignorant one."
As soon as the woman in the black veil muttered these words, the world that's made of glass was gradually consud by the dark as the reflection of everything seed to turn opaque.
"You dare invade my world!?"
The 12-eyed Constellation with a transparent body shouted lividly.
In that split second, the world that's made of glass was restructuring itself, replacing the structures that already turned dark due to the black-veiled woman; then, the glass that were broken flew fast toward the black-veiled woman.
In response to what the 12-eyed Constellation did, the black-veiled woman scoffed before she waved the spade-shaped fan in her hand.
"What a lonely world."
At that mont, a dark cross with spade-shaped tips ca out of nowhere and pierced the world of glass, causing the entire Mirror Dinsion to tremble. This dark cross was so gigantic, more massive than the Sun that humans knew.
It went through the already broken parts of this world that were aid at her, to the other side of this world, along with a dark shockwave that enveloped his world, turning his world into total darkness, causing deep shock and fright to the 12-eyed Constellation.
"W-what...?"
The being muttered in disbelief.
Even though the Mirror Dinsion or his world was massive, he's living alone, but never felt lonely.
He saw through his eyes the nature of everything that was happening in different worlds; happiness, sadness, betrayal, schism, death, and many more.
But, with the very sudden attack just because of four puny mortals, he saw his world in darkness, which caused him to feel the loneliness that he had only observed from countless mortal worlds, for the first ti since he ca into existence.
"S-stop! I'll command my champion to release them! Please, stop destroying my world."
The black-veiled woman smiled before she disappeared.
She didn't wait to see the outco as she believed that the 12-eyed Constellation wouldn't dare to stab her in the back by making an opposite order.
In a very short ti, the Mirror Dinsion recovered itself through his power, but during that ti, he never expected how lonely it was to be left alone in the dark.
"What a lonely world, indeed."
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