The Chamber of the Central Tower was quieter than the last time it had convened.
Not everyone from the Board of Defenders was present, most were away handling their endless duties. Even Elara was absent.
Scarlett's voice was the first to break the silence. "Selena, you summoned us here. Everyone is strained for time, what was so urgent?"
Selena stepped forward, golden tattoos glowing faintly, and placed a rune scroll on the table. Its surface pulsed with faint gravity.
"I verified a report from the Rune District. A Legendary scroll was being sold openly. I examined it myself. It is real, Gravity Snare."
A ripple of murmurs passed between the commanders.
Hayes leaned forward, "Legendary scrolls do not appear in stalls."
Selena's lips curled faintly. "And yet one did. This is not a rumor. It is a fact. Someone has replicated my own work."
The revelation struck like thunder. Gravity Snare was her creation, born from fragments of Volume III. Until now, she alone had inscribed it.
Reeves's metal fingers tapped the table. "And who, pray tell, accomplished this?"
Selena's golden eyes swept the chamber. "Adrian Blackwood."
Shock filled the air.
Scarlett's gaze sharpened. "He is just sixteen. Just arrived in HQ, and you expect us to believe he inscribed a Legendary Rune? it's Impossible"
"The boy has been in the Rune Division for what, three days?" Hayes's voice carried disbelief.
Thane's scar twitched as his lips curved into the faintest smile. "Not impossible, it seems."
"Echo affinity," Reeves mused, "He could have copied gravity affinity."
Selena shook her head slowly. "Copying a technique and inscribing Legendary runes are entirely different skills. The precision required, the understanding of fundamental forces..."
"You're saying he shouldn't be capable of this." Scarlett's tone held accusation.
"I'm saying no one should be capable of this at his age and experience level."
Kael's calm voice silenced them all. "Summon him. He achieved pseudo-manifestation once. Now this. It is time we see him ourselves."
The S-Rank president's words carried absolute authority. The chamber fell into contemplative silence.
"Where is Lady Blackwood?" Hayes asked quietly.
"On Mission," Kael replied. "This concerns Adrian alone."
...
In his suite, Adrian was preparing to inscribe more scrolls. The second volume of the Language of Mana had already doubled his strength. If he could earn enough points and purchase the third volume, his growth would be unstoppable.
But before he began, his device chimed. A summon to the Central Tower.
He sighed. "It must be about the scrolls."
...
Minutes later, he stood at the upper floors, led into the great meeting hall.
For the first time, he saw the Board of Defenders. He instantly recognized them from his mother's words, humanity's greatest figures.
He did not have any arrogance. Instead, he bowed slightly in respect.
These were not politicians, but legends who had earned their seats.
Kael regarded him with eyes that seemed to weigh his soul. "Adrian Blackwood. Did you inscribe these Legendary scrolls?"
"Yes." Adrian's voice carried without hesitation. "I used [Echo]. It allowed me to replicate gravity affinity."
"I've been using Gravity Snare since the Academy. My familiarity and Echo's replication allowed me to overcome the resistance."
The explanation was clean, prepared, and believable.
But the commanders still exchanged looks. Scarlett's eyes narrowed, "Even with Echo, comprehension of a Legendary rune within days of arriving in HQ… that speed is unnatural."
Hayes shifted in his seat, "First pseudo-manifestation. Now this."
"His comprehension… it may outpace even ours."
Goosebumps ran through more than one veteran in the room. Thane's scarred fingers drummed against the table's surface.
Kael's lips curved into a rare smile. "Then let us not waste words. Adrian Blackwood, you have achieved what few in humanity ever could."
"From this day forward, you will be recognized as the ninth Rune Master of humanity. Your provisional status ends here."
"Take your place in the Rune Division, where your talents belong."
The chamber stirred with approval. To birth a Rune Master was a blessing for all mankind. Selena's golden tattoos pulsed brighter, though her expression remained unreadable.
But Adrian stepped forward.
"I refuse."
The room froze. Even the air seemed to be still.
Kael's brows lifted slightly. "You refuse?"
"I don't want a seat behind walls. I don't want to hide in the Rune Division while others fight."
"My path… is on the front lines, where humanity bleeds, and fight beside them."
Hayes scoffed, "Bold words. But words do not make warriors."
Adrian's eyes met his, unflinching.
"Runes can be inscribed by others. But when the monsters come, it is Defenders who stand between humanity and death."
"If I have the power to fight, then I will fight. Call me a boy, call me provisional defender, but I would rather fall on the frontlines than sit safely in halls while others die."
The words silenced the chamber. Scarlett's icy demeanor cracked slightly, showing something like respect.
Even Kael's eyes glimmered with approval. "Bold. But you are still young."
"Your record shows you have slain D-Rank monsters, at most. By that measure, your rank is still D."
"If you wish to reach the true front lines, that will take years of—"
But before more could be said, the doors slammed open. A Defender stumbled in, face pale, clutching a crystal. "Emergency report! The Sea Wall Outpost has been ambushed! Casualties in the thousands. They request immediate reinforcements."
The man's uniform bore the insignia of the Communication Division. Blood trickled from his nose, suggesting he'd pushed his transmission abilities beyond safe limits.
The Sea Wall, one of humanity's most dangerous outposts. Built as a massive barrier between the endless ocean and the lands behind, its purpose was simple, to prevent the horrors of the deep from ever reaching human territory.
The defender turned on a recording.
A recording flared to life, projecting a holographic battlefield above the table. Adrian's breath caught as he witnessed the carnage unfolding at the Sea Wall.
Defenders scattered like broken dolls across blood-soaked stone. Black waves crashed against the massive barrier, each surge birthing new horrors from the depths.
A B-Rank leviathan burst from the surf, its serpentine body longer than three buildings. Razor fins sliced through a formation of twenty defenders before they could react.
An A-Rank Defender descended from the wall's peak, space bending around his form. The clash between human and beast shook the entire structure, but even as the leviathan fell, more shapes stirred beneath the waves.
Adrian's hands clenched into fists. Thousands of defenders lay motionless on the bloodied stone. Each corpse had been someone's son, daughter, parent.
The messenger's voice cracked with exhaustion. "The surge shows no signs of stopping. Multiple B-Ranks are surfacing simultaneously across the entire wall."
"And our deep-sea sensors have detected something massive approaching. Preliminary readings suggest A-Rank threat level."
Kael's expression hardened. "Mobilize all available reinforcements immediately. Commander Scarlett, prepare every squad above D-Rank for deployment."
Scarlett rose from her seat, ice-blue eyes reflecting the recording's carnage. "My water affinity gives us the best chance against sea-based threats. I'll lead the advance force."
As orders flew across the chamber, Adrian stepped forward. His voice cut through the tactical discussions.
"I'll go."
Every conversation died. Every eye in the chamber fixed on him with expressions ranging from shock to disbelief.