She walked briskly, her steps light as she approached. "I have a proposal from the family for you, Modret Axarel. Are you willing to accept?"

Modret's eyes flickered with calculation.

Should he engage in a fight with her or hear her out?

He didn't know what the lady wanted to say; however, if it was a method for her to delay his departure, then… that would be rather unfortunate.

Nevertheless, could he even leave here?

Just like with the Illuminati, he didn't know how the lady with dark shades and her group had tracked him.

If he wanted answers, the only thing he could do was…

"I'd like to hear the proposal first." Modret took a deep breath and replied.

"Makes sense." The lady readjusted her glasses, then continued, "I know you're around that age where you're supposed to go to the academy, but due to…"

"Unfortunate circumstances, you weren't able to—at least not yet. But my proposal will solve your worries."

Modret raised his brows, his curiosity piqued.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on the corner of the lady's lips.

"The Celestial Academy."

"The Celestial Academy?" Modret looked startled.

"Yeah. It's an academy jointly created by all the top noble families. It aims to train a specialized group of students to clear Celestial Gates all over the world."

'Damn!' Modret was speechless; however, a slight excitement was already forming in his heart.

Calming his impulses, he asked the question bugging him.

"Why can't the heads of noble families clear the Celestial Gates?"

"Two reasons."

She paused, then continued, raising a finger gently at Modret's line of sight.

"One, because there are unique Celestial Gates that only those of certain realms can enter."

"And two, because, according to unanimous agreement, this will usher in the strongest era of ability awakeners yet. Imagine how many people will rush to the academy for the entrance exam the moment they hear about it. How many S, SS, or SSS-rank abilities will surface in the human world! Dealing with beasts won't be much of a problem if this feasible plan is achieved."

"Moreover, elders are currently scouting villages, states, and small countries to track down ability awakeners for the Celestial Academy. It's simply… terrifying!"

Modret could sense the tremble in the lady's voice, filled with excitement.

He, too, was shocked by this.

He could imagine the resources the heads of noble families would pour into building this academy and ushering in a new era of ability awakeners.

'Maybe with this, the Celestials won't bring about the destruction of this era…'

Modret's eyes were filled with brilliance. He couldn't begin to imagine the terrifying humans that would finally emerge from their hiding places.

He clenched his fist.

This was a chance!

A chance to prove himself as the greatest awakener of his generation!

Besides, if they truly could clear all Celestial Gates, then finally, they could put an end to the incoming crisis.

Although Modret was selfish, he still cared about his parents—especially his mother…

After thinking deeply, Modret finally chuckled.

"That sounds like quite an interesting proposal. When do we head to the academy?"

"Hahaha!" The lady burst out laughing, almost throwing her glasses to the floor.

"We're heading to the academy? The academy is located in Antarctica, one of the coldest regions on Earth. All students are to head there themselves, proving their worth and slaying Celestial Beasts and Awakened Beasts alike on the way—singlehandedly."

"What?" Modret couldn't help widening his eyes in shock.

"This is meant to be the training ground for a new era of ability awakeners—the strongest ones. What better way than to be extremely harsh with them?"

"Alright, we've discussed enough about this. Here's a map to Antarctica. When you're done with whatever you're doing here, head to the academy. It begins in six months."

Modret collected the map and scanned it briefly.

After he was done, he placed it in his pocket.

Finally, the lady's gaze landed on Axel, and her brows creased into a furrow.

"What are you doing with someone from the Illuminati?"

"Someone from the Illuminati?" Modret quickly scanned the cave in shock.

He didn't notice anyone suspicious.

The lady then pointed at Axel. "I'm talking about him."

Modret studied Axel, then laughed. "Him? Someone from the Illuminati?"

"Yeah. I can't sense any lifeforce within him—only those creeps from the Illuminati can do that."

"He possesses lifeforce. However, he can mask it to make it seem like he doesn't possess life. That's one of his many abilities…" Modret lied smoothly.

The lady scanned Axel for a long while before sensing that, truly, she could feel Axel was faintly different from the bandits she had killed.

"I see…" She finally withdrew her killing aura from Axel.

"What do you know about the Illuminati?"

"You have dealings with them?" the lady asked, readjusting her glasses to stare deeply at Modret.

"Something like that. A guy called Troy almost killed me once but ultimately decided to spare me at the last moment."

"Troy, huh… I'd advise you not to lump yourself in with those lunatics."

Seeing Modret's confused expression, she began explaining.

"The Illuminati are a group of people led by six leaders—at least, those are the ones we know so far. According to our reports, each and every one of them has a very good ability but has been ostracized in some way, facing the dark side of society all their lives."

"That's where the Illuminati comes in, giving these people hope and promising to bring them to a paradise where only 'they' exist."

Modret's heart skipped a beat, and a tense expression appeared on his face.

"Troy was once a student of a dojo. Back then, he was the weakest among his dojo members and was constantly mocked for it. He trained extremely hard for six days straight and only stopped when he passed out."

"He constantly pushed his body to the limit but still failed to impress anyone, only to be mocked for it. The day he finally awakened an ability—Enhanced Speed—his dojo members killed him off in a back mountain, leaving him to die."

"Miraculously, two days later, he returned with a blue mask and slaughtered everyone."

"According to our sources, he likes fighting—extremely so. And whenever he encounters a good opponent, more often than not, he spares them."

Modret finished listening to the long story, his heart unsettled as the words sank in.

'Having a tragic backstory… Illuminati… miraculous return…' The words continuously played in his mind, and for a moment, he felt pity for the youth. No wonder it seemed as though he had lost his sanity.

Perhaps he had.

"Troy is now a Purple Mask, and he rarely spares anyone since no one is fit to give him an exciting fight anymore. So, Modret, what exactly did you do to gain his recognition?"

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