Chapter 195: The Union (Edited)
The private reception room, isolated from all the VIP boxes, remained so quiet that even the sound of a falling pin could be heard. Beyond the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire city of Central City blazed with dazzling lights as countless people moved about. Yet the three people inside the room seemed completely cut off from the outside world.
Arthur stood with his head slightly lowered while Arnold stood quietly beside him.
If anyone outside were to witness this scene, they would likely be unable to remain calm. One was the President of the Players Association, while the other was the head of the shelter. Both were figures of immense authority wherever they went. Yet now, standing before the silver-haired woman who appeared to be no more than twenty years old, they maintained the utmost respect, showing not the slightest hint of disrespect.
The silence lasted for several seconds.
Finally, Arthur spoke once more.
"My Lady, the Association has indeed been discourteous this time. If Headquarters hadn’t sent word tonight, I wouldn’t have even known that you had already arrived in the First Layer ahead of schedule."
The silver-haired woman continued gazing quietly out the window without turning around.
"It doesn’t matter. I never informed anyone that I was coming."
Her voice was calm, carrying an effortless composure that seemed innate, as though very few things in this world were capable of stirring much emotion within her.
Arthur nodded gently. He naturally understood.
If the woman before him did not wish to reveal her identity, there truly were very few people in the entire First Layer capable of discovering her whereabouts.
"However..."
The woman slowly turned around, her pale golden eyes settling on Arthur.
"I didn’t expect this year’s Chosen Tournament to produce someone worthy of stirring my interest."
The moment those words were spoken,
Arthur and Arnold exchanged a glance.
They naturally knew exactly whom she was referring to.
Zich.
The brightest rising star in the entire First Layer.
After hesitating for a moment, Arnold could not help but ask,
"My Lady, forgive my boldness. Although Zich’s talent is indeed extraordinary, I thought the Union has far more talented figures than him. I’m surprised that you found him interesting."
The woman did not answer immediately.
She merely walked slowly to the table and gently picked up the memory crystal containing the tournament recording.
As a thread of mana flowed into it, the projection appeared once more.
On the screen, the final moments of Zich’s battle against Nameless unfolded once again.
The woman watched silently. It was only after the recording ended did she slowly speak.
"If all he had done was defeat a Nullborn, then of course he wouldn’t be worth my attention after all every few years, the union produces several geniuses capable of defeating a Nullborn and even more powerful races ."
Arthur’s expression shifted slightly because those words meant that the world where the Union existed was far more extraordinary than the First Layer, or even the Second or Third Layer.
"The thing that truly interests me..." The woman’s fingertip lightly touched the projection. The image froze at the exact moment when Zich used his Skeletons, Slimy, and Blood Leech together to complete the final kill.
"It’s this."
"Summoning?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Not only that. His resourcefulness, the way he used bombs, his fighting style. He constantly forced his opponent to reveal more of themselves, then gradually turned every one of those revelations into his own advantage."
The room fell silent once again.
Arnold suddenly realized something.
From beginning to end, the woman had never commented on Zich’s talent. Nor had she praised his class. The only thing she had evaluated was the way he fought.
Arthur slowly said,
"So you believe that his greatest value isn’t the Summoner class itself?"
"Of course not."
The woman gently shook her head.
"A class limits a person’s ceiling."
"But thinking does not. A person who possesses this kind of combat awareness, whether he were a Summoner today, a Knight, a Mage, an Assassin, or even the most ordinary Warrior, would still stand in the same place."
Arthur fell silent because he had to admit that his own attention had always been focused on Zich’s unprecedented method of summoning.
But the woman before him had seen something far more fundamental at a single glance.
At that moment, a gentle knock suddenly came from outside the reception room.
Knock.
Knock.
"Come in."
A Players Association staff member hurried inside, his expression carrying a trace of excitement.
"President."
"We’ve just received word from the Medical Wing."
"Zich has awakened."
Arthur nodded.
"How are his injuries?"
"After several Grand Healers examined him together, they’ve confirmed that he’s out of danger. As long as he rests for one night, tomorrow’s Quarterfinals shouldn’t be affected."
Hearing those words, Arnold finally let out a sigh of relief.
However, the staff member did not leave. Instead, he continued,
"There’s one more matter."
"The invitation left behind by the Green Group has been successfully delivered to Zich."
"In addition, there are still over one hundred and sixty corporate representatives waiting outside the Medical Wing. They’ve all stated that, no matter how long they have to wait, they hope to become the first to officially make contact with Zich."
Hearing this, Arnold could not help but smile bitterly.
"That kid is probably the most valuable person in the entire First Layer at the moment."
However, the silver-haired woman merely smiled faintly.
"What they’re competing for is the present. But what I wish to see..."
She slowly turned her gaze toward the Central Arena outside the window, which still shone brilliantly beneath the night sky. Within the depths of her golden eyes, a meaningful glimmer quietly flashed.
"...is his future. Tomorrow’s Quarterfinals—I hope he doesn’t disappoint me."
...
Morning.
The first rays of sunlight slowly streamed through the window, spilling into the spotless white hospital room within the Central Medical Wing.
After an entire night of treatment, the most serious wound on Zich’s chest had almost completely healed, leaving behind only a faint scar, while the chaotic energy within his body had finally returned to a stable state.
"Your recovery is progressing well."
The elderly physician who had treated Zich yesterday put away the inspection crystal and nodded in satisfaction.
"Although you haven’t fully returned to your peak condition yet, participating in today’s Quarterfinals won’t be a problem. As long as you don’t push yourself as recklessly as you did yesterday, a few more days of rest afterward will be enough for a full recovery."
Zich smiled.
"I’ll do my best."
The old physician simply shook his head with a chuckle.
Do my best? Judging from the way this kid fought yesterday, he didn’t look like someone who knew the meaning of "holding back."
If only he knew just how much Zich was holding back.
Just then, another knock sounded outside the room.