Chapter 59: Unstable Spiritual Energy? That Was What He Needed!
On normal circumstances, Ethan would have taken that rejection as a blessing and a warning from above, thanked Will, and returned straight to the academy, abandoning the rift mission without a second thought. But then one particular thing Will had said caught his attention.
Excessive spiritual energy.
Will had just said that the rift contained an excessive amount of spiritual energy.
Wasn’t that exactly what he needed to rank up according to Aster’s book?
Ethan’s eyes immediately sharpened.
If that was the case, then there was absolutely no way he was leaving and missing this opportunity.
Zane had already opened his mouth, clearly intending to speak on Ethan’s behalf, but Ethan beat him to it.
"So? It applies only to E- and F-rank, right?"
Will nodded. "Yes."
"But I’m not either of those anymore. I’m a D-rank."
Ethan folded his arms, his tone becoming more pointed. "Or is your academy profile still showing my old rank?"
Will quickly checked the information on his screen again, his brows knitting together as he scanned through Ethan’s updated records.
"No, your D-rank advancement is registered."
"Then why am I being exempted?"
Will hesitated before answering. "According to the information we received, your advancement is currently under investigation. So this is no longer strictly about your safety. We don’t know what caused your sudden advancement or whether there are other factors involved, and until the investigation is resolved, we cannot allow you to participate in a mission with this level of unstable spiritual energy. If something goes wrong because of whatever is happening with you, it could endanger everyone around you."
Ethan’s expression tightened.
So that damn academy made it known everywhere that he was being investigated and that damn investigation was still following him everywhere.
Someone beside him suddenly let out a mocking snort.
Ethan turned his head, already irritated, only for his eyes to widen when he saw Leon standing nearby.
And behind him was—
"Jeff?"
Ethan stared in surprise.
He hadn’t seen Jeff since the incident where the boy had nearly lost his life, and despite everything that had happened recently, a small smile immediately appeared on Ethan’s face.
"Jeff, you—"
But Jeff simply lowered his gaze.
He didn’t even look at him.
The smile slowly disappeared from Ethan’s face.
His brows pulled together in confusion as he studied his old friend. What was wrong with him? Why was Jeff avoiding his gaze like that?
And, more importantly, why was he even with someone like Leon?
Before Ethan could dwell on it any further, Leon stepped forward with that same irritating expression he always seemed to wear whenever Ethan was around.
"I haven’t had the time to deal with you properly because of everything that happened," Leon said coldly, "but somehow you’re already here, looking for another rift mission to get yourself involved in."
Ethan frowned. "What exactly are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I’m talking about." Leon stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "You’d better undo whatever you did to Drey that made him unable to receive Guiding from anyone else, especially me! Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next."
Ethan blinked.
What the hell was this idiot talking about now?
Leon scoffed before continuing, his voice dripping with contempt.
"And whatever stupid tricks you’re trying to pull, you should know they won’t work. Drey isn’t going to fall in love with you no matter what useless dirty tricks you use."
Ethan’s eyes widened.
For a moment, he simply stared at Leon.
Then everything clicked.
Oh.
Ohhh.
So that was it.
That was why Leon had hated him from the very beginning.
It had nothing to do with Ethan personally.
Leon had been with Drey, someone he admired and was probably in love with, and then Ethan had suddenly become Drey’s fiancé before their engagement was annulled.
No wonder Leon had been acting like a rabid dog every time he saw him.
Ethan almost laughed.
Hah. What irony.
He had somehow gotten dragged into someone else’s jealous love triangle without even asking for it.
To the side, Zane had already pulled out his phone, his fingers moving across the screen as he searched through his information, clearly looking for something.
Adrien noticed immediately.
"Zane..."
Riley glanced at him suspiciously. "Please tell me you’re not about to do what I think you’re about to do."
Zane didn’t even look up from his phone. "If what you think involves putting an end to this drama and getting us inside, then yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing."
Adrien’s expression immediately became troubled. "You’re really going to use that?"
Zane finally lifted his gaze from his phone, his expression calm. "You both know that if I do, nobody here will dare hold us up or disrespect us."
Riley sighed. "But Ethan doesn’t even need to go in. Leon is already here that is enough to test"
Zane’s fingers paused against the screen.
"And what if he can’t?"
Riley fell silent.
Zane’s expression hardened slightly.
"Then Ethan misses the opportunity to prove what we already suspect, and we may not get another chance to confirm it firsthand. You both know how difficult it will be to convince Ethan to participate in something like this again if we let this opportunity slip away."
He looked back at his phone.
"So I’m not taking that chance."
Meanwhile, Ethan had already tuned Leon out.
Seriously, what exactly did this man expect him to say?
Ethan wasn’t in the mood to argue with him, and he certainly wasn’t interested in entertaining whatever ridiculous jealousy-fueled fantasy Leon had created in his head.
But his silence only seemed to irritate Leon further.
Leon scoffed.
"What, nothing to say now?"
Ethan ignored him.
Leon stepped closer.
"Or perhaps you’re finally realizing that you have no idea what you’re doing?"
Still nothing.
Leon clenched his jaw.
"I really wonder what made you think you could even participate in this rift mission in the first place. Do you have any idea what you’re walking into?"
Ethan’s attention finally shifted toward him.
Leon continued, apparently pleased that he finally had his attention.
"Rifts contain highly unstable spiritual energy. The concentration inside them can overwhelm low-ranked Sentinels and Guides in minutes. You think simply becoming a D-rank means you’re suddenly qualified to walk into one?"
Ethan stared at him.
Then, slowly, a smile appeared on his face.
Leon frowned.
Why was he smiling?
That was exactly what Ethan wanted to hear.
Highly unstable spiritual energy.
Excessive spiritual energy.
It was practically everything Aster’s book had told him to look for.
His excitement only grew.
Leon completely misunderstood the smile.
"You think this is funny?"
Ethan didn’t answer.
Whatever stupid evil plan Leon thought he had, Ethan couldn’t care less.
All he knew was that the rift might contain exactly what he needed.
Leon became visibly frustrated.
"Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work. There’s no way they’re going to let you participate in this mission."
Before Ethan could respond, another voice suddenly cut through the conversation.
"Why isn’t he being allowed to participate in the rift mission?"
(Chapters will be redited and polished better soon)