Chapter 69 - First... Or Special?

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"What?" Alana blinked after noticing Lucian's gaze. Though she understood why he looked towards her, the question was simply an involuntary reaction towards Lucian's awkward expression.

"Frost Witch~," Lucian said with a faint chuckle. "Is that not your aunt? If so, why haven't you greeted her yet?"

"Why do you think she is here? This isn't even her division," Alana responded while rolling her eyes. Still, she took a step forward and approached the Frost Witch from behind.

Meanwhile, the Frost Witch continued to glower at Oryon despite his remark to pay for the damage. Evidently, the damage wasn't the only thing that angered her to this extent.

"We were having a meeting, yet you simply disappear?!" 

"The alarm sounded. I had to check the reason. What can I say, I just couldn't help myself," Oryon said in a tone meant to irritate this woman even more, which it did. Her eyes widened as she choked angrily.

"No excuse! You could've left it up to a manager in this sector!" 

"Oi, you fret too much. Just quiet down already, Elizabeth. It's not like the meeting was important, anyway. These weekly check-ins are just cumbersome," Oryon scoffed while also waving her away.

Naturally, the Frost Witch didn't appreciate being blown off, but before the frigid winds surrounding her could expand, a finger gently tapped on her shoulder.

"Aunty, you know that Director Rakesh won't give in. Shouldn't you just focus on me instead?" Alana said with a charming smile. At the same time, she also hugged her aunt's arm, which helped to calm her down.

"Okay, you win. He'll always be the inexcusable brute he is," Elizabeth said with a faint nod. Though her expression was warm as she caressed Alana's cheek, she didn't give up the chance to insult Oryon.

After all, their history spanned back before the Priming even took place.

Instead of entertaining her comment, Oryon turned back towards Lucian with a narrowed gaze. 'Now, as I sensed earlier, this boy's eyes followed my movements, but his body couldn't move.'

Suddenly, Oryon snapped his finger, "Elizabeth. Arguments aside, I need your input on this matter." 

"What?" Elizabeth answered before following Oryon's gaze that fell on Lucian's body, the boy that didn't emit the slightest bit of Mana fluctuations. Either his body was robust enough to perfectly conceal the signature, or his Mana was just untraceable.

"You want me to help you with this boy?"

"Not quite. He's the source of the alarm, and it's the rarest kind of malfunction. The apparatus couldn't get a reading on him at all," Oryon answered with an obscure gleam in his eyes.

If the decision was solely up to him, then Oryon felt that Lucian's senses should be on par with even some of the instructors. However, the fact that his body was this weak, only at the E standard, made it difficult for Oryon to determine his placement.

Therefore, he required a second opinion. If a second opinion was involved, then it would be hard to appeal the choice made. Especially if both opinions were similar.

"Ah, and your judgment is?" Elizabeth questioned while examining Lucian as well. Aside from his demeanor filled with confidence and a hint of disinterest, Elizabeth wasn't sure that she sensed much else.

However, that was to be expected. After all, none of these True Alphas were in the Heroic Order as Skybreaker was. So the chances of them sensing something produced by a divine item were slim to impossible.

"I'm thinking either the First… or Special Division?" Oryon muttered while rubbing his chin. In addition to liking Lucian's sharp senses, Oryon remembered just what he was forgetting.

'I believe this is the individual my boy told me about. He went through some type of change inside the Monolith,' Oryon thought to himself. While his son seemed inexperienced, Oryon understood that his son's starting point was much higher than his.

While Oryon was part of the Original Guardians, the ones who went through the trials of the Priming, he hadn't become a True Alpha until recently. And, while a True Alpha, he had yet to undergo his third awakening, which meant he was still confined to the Transient Realm, albeit at the absolute peak of it.

Conversely, Cezar was only at his first awakening, yet his Fractal Rating was graded above an S. In other words, all he needed was to break past to S Rank threshold to acquire the Heroic Order requirements.

"Excuse me, you want to put him in the Special Division? You know, the division meant to house only Maximized Elites and Extraordinary Guardians?" Elizabeth said with an odd expression.

She didn't say anything about the First Division because it wasn't as nonsensical as Lucian entering the Special Division. Whereas the Special Division was the cream of the crop Guardians, the First Division at most held strong Elites.

Although their potential was substantial, it just wasn't worth mentioning when placed alongside its superior counterpart. Because, although they were all on the same level as far as Monolith clearance went, the chasm between their strengths was vast.

Only the Alphas understood how vast the jump from S- to S to S+ was. The lower ranks just couldn't compare to this ranking.

For example, Skybreaker's power surpassed the other True Alphas by leaps and bounds. His power alone could battle all the True Alphas to a standstill simultaneously.

Every member of the Special Division, whether junior or senior, possessed a potential of that caliber.

Hence, why Elizabeth couldn't understand Oryon's judgment of classification. Of course, after sensing the dubious tone of Elizabeth, Oryon welcomed her to verify just why he thought he deserved that spot.

"Don't believe my judgment? Fine, see for yourself."

"I just might," Elizabeth nodded before stepping before Lucian. However, Alana clutched her arm.

"Aunty, don't be too rough. You know how dangerous your ability is. And, the Flame Sorcerer isn't around to reverse it," Alana said.

Of course, Elizabeth was aware of this, because there was no way her young niece was more experienced than her.

"So, what's your specialty," Elizabeth questioned as she stood face to face with Lucian. As she wore steep high heels, coupled with her long, slender frame, she was on par with Lucian's height of 6'1.

"Scouting," Lucian answered indifferently. Since this was what he told Oryon, then he would stick to the story. Not only was it his most impressionable ability, but it was all that he could muster at the moment.

"So, superior senses, then. Understood. Let's see if you can sense me," Elizabeth said with a charming smile that made most of the male Guardians present drool. It was like laying eyes of an ice fairy.

Suddenly, an immense blizzard appeared around Lucian and Elizabeth, yet Lucian didn't feel a shred of cold air seeping from the blizzard. There was a dense screen of mana protecting him.

Just as Oryon didn't use any physical means, neither did Elizabeth. This was just an exanimation to test how sharp his senses were.

As such, Elizabeth's body faded gradually, mixing in with the rapid whirling of the blizzard. The ice storm erased her presence instantly once she merged with it. 

A voice entered Lucian's ears. "If you can sense my position as the blizzard intensifies, then perhaps I'll entertain Oryon's thought. If you can't, then you're unsuitable for his high praise."

The voice came from all directions in the blizzard, so Lucian didn't turn at all. Instead, he gave a simple acknowledgment. "Understood."

Steadily, the veil of mana protecting Lucian thinned, which allowed a thin stream of frigid air to touch him. If he couldn't withstand just a slight amount of her powers, then there was no way he'd make it to the top floors.

The settings of some of those floors were simply horrifying.

Meanwhile, Lucian's eyes gleamed with a crimson color as his gaze drifted listlessly, just like the air surrounding him. Though Elizabeth's skill was superb, she was underestimating Lucian's Hypervigilance.

It was an ability with the starting standards of the Heroic Order. In other words, this was a basic version that had yet to be addressed by a suitable Limit Refinement. Once that occurred, then it was only a matter of time until he became an unchallenged existence.

Sadly, the fact that it was so strong already meant that its upgrade requirements were bound to be simply horrendous!

"Top-left corner. Front. Behind me. Bottom-left corner."

Lucian called out a string of positions despite the thickening blizzard and increased cold air assailing his body. The more he called out, the more Oryon's expression became delighted.

Just as he used S Rank Agility, there was S Rank Mana inside the blizzard!