He saw Alaric, Darius, Hector, Adira, Shira, Nox, and Malachi each occupying different parts of the room, deep in discussion. However, their conversation halted the moment they heard the door creak open.
They all turned toward the entrance, eyes narrowing as recognition set in. Despite having met only a handful of times, their expressions hardened. But confusion flickered in their gazes as they rubbed their eyes, as if to confirm they weren’t hallucinating.
Alaric stepped forward first, incredulous. “Boss?”
Nova’s gaze swept over each of them, noting the subtle shifts in their aura and strength. He nodded to himself, satisfied, then locked eyes with Alaric and smiled. “Who else?”
A tense silence fell over the room before Adira stood up abruptly, her voice brimming with excitement. “Boss! Where have you been?”
“I just cleared two Green portals” Nova said, his tone even. Then, with a serious expression, he added, “I have a question. How long has it been since you last saw me?”
The simple statement threw them off balance. Their expressions shifted from excitement to confusion, the weight of his words hanging in the air.
Two Green portals? How had it taken him so long? And why was he asking about time?
All eyes turned to Alaric, waiting for him to speak.
Taking a steady breath, Alaric answered, “It’s been two months since we last saw you”
Nova had anticipated something unusual, but two months? He had only spent two and a half days in that last Green portal. The discrepancy was unsettling. Taking a moment to absorb the shock, he turned his focus to the matter at hand.
“First, tell me how your tests went and the current state of my business” Nova commanded, his gaze sharp as it swept across the room.
Alaric stepped forward first. “The Broken Chain was dealt with before the week ended, just as you instructed” he began. “After that, I focused on training and cleared three Green portals. I didn’t increase my base Stats, as you advised, but instead managed to achieve One with the Sword.”
Nova raised a brow, pleased. Alaric continued without prompting. “I’ve also been refining my skills across the board, learning from each of my comrades.”
“Good. You didn’t waste any time.” Nova nodded approvingly before shifting his gaze to Darius. “You’re still alive, so I assume you at least cleared one Green portal.”
Darius smiled wryly. “Barely, boss. I was on the brink of death but once I achieved One with the Sword, the portal became laughably easy.” He straightened with pride. “Since then, I’ve been training nonstop and built up the Legion made of elites. Nothing much happened beyond that thanks to Hector.” He cast a meaningful glance toward the other man.
“Oh?” Nova turned to Hector, his curiosity piqued, though he already had an idea of what was coming.
Hector stood at attention, his posture straight and disciplined. “I’ve successfully trained guards capable of keeping the entire east side of Univara safe. I maintained a rigorous training schedule for them and myself. In the process, I also achieved One with the Glaive.”
Nova nodded at Hector. “I’ve seen the guards you’ve trained and the peace you’ve brought to this side of the city. You did a good job, Hector.”
Hector’s smile widened with pride, and he gave a firm nod in acknowledgment.
Turning his gaze to Adira, Nova didn’t even need to prompt her. She stepped forward, ready to report. “I kept training blindly for a month until I achieved One with the Bow. While also focusing on studying terrains, maps, soundwaves—anything that could enhance my perception.” She beamed with pride. “I can now map out the interior of a building using nothing but the sound of my steps.”
“Good, good. You didn’t disappoint either” Nova said with a pleased smile before turning to Shira.
Shira spoke softly, but her words carried weight. “I became One with the Dagger. I’ve also built a spy network within the Blades of Freedom—currently around 30 operatives, all with ‘None’ as their class and trained exclusively as spies.”
“Did you keep Nox updated with all the information you gathered?” Nova asked, his tone approving.
“Yes.”
Satisfied, Nova shifted his attention to Nox. “How many?”
“Over a thousand. I stopped counting.” Nox’s tone was colder than Nova remembered, though it carried an edge of discipline. “I’ve also established an elite assassin group under my command and reached One with the Dagger.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“I expected more traitors. Lucky for them, I suppose. Excellent work, Nox,” Nova said with a smirk before turning to Malachi. “What’s the situation?”
Malachi cleared his throat, standing a little taller. “Every organization and family still breathing in the east side is now under our control. I’ve also expanded into the south and north, but the results so far are minimal—not worth noting yet. And I’ve mastered One with the Mace.”
By the end of his report, Malachi was grinning, clearly proud of his progress.
Raising an eyebrow, Nova studied him. “You’ve surprised me. You managed to bring the entire east side under our control in such a short time. You really do have a talent for politics.”
Malachi’s grin stretched even wider at the praise, radiating satisfaction.
Nova nodded once more at everyone, his gaze sweeping across the group. “You all did a great job and didn’t disappoint me. You went beyond my expectations.” His words hung in the air, drawing light smiles from the group—even Shira and Nox.
He then turned to Shira. “I need updates on the situation on Earth and within the Federation.”
Shira nodded. “The Federation announced the construction of four academies to the entire world a week after you disappeared. Earth was also informed of the new rules and regulations around that time. Univara adapted well since those rules had already been enforced for a few weeks, but other cities didn’t take it as smoothly.”
She paused for a breath before continuing. “In short, there were rebellions, though they didn’t cause too much damage. Some rebel leaders are still alive and plotting further uprisings in the other three cities. Three weeks ago, the Federation completed construction of the academies. A week later, they opened them to anyone with the class ‘None.’ The academies have been a success, with more and more people enrolling every day.”
Feeling she had reported everything necessary, Shira fell silent, awaiting further instructions.
Nova closed his eyes, processing the flood of information. ‘So we’ve already reached this point in the plan. I need to meet with my friends and inspect the academies myself.’
With that mental note made, he opened his eyes again. “What’s the situation in the north, south, and west of Univara?”
“It’s peaceful. A few key people from both the Federation and others have been patrolling those areas. While some minor rebels remain, they’re scattered and disorganized. The east side still stands as the cleanest of all.” A fleeting, proud smile crossed Shira’s face before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
Nova nodded thinking back to Victor-Cassidy who patrolled the north and Jack-Amelia who went to the south ‘Must’ve been them who kept the situation under control there’ a smile appeared on his face.
He then asked “Did any of you visit the academy?”
The generals exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison.
“You’re in luck, then.” Nova’s lips curled into a smile. “I’ll bring you with me to enroll.”
Alaric stepped forward, a puzzled look on his face. “Why boss? We don’t need to study there anymore.”
The other six also wore expressions of mild curiosity, wondering what Nova had planned for them.
“You see… I need to check whether the Federation is properly managing the academies or not” Nova explained, his gaze steady. “To do that, I’ll have to enroll and become a student. You’ll follow me, and I’ll train you while we’re on campus. Any questions?”
The group mulled over Nova’s words, finding no issues with the plan until Darius spoke up. “Should I bring my Legion?”
“No.” Nova’s gaze swept across them all. “Select a vice leader and delegate your responsibilities for now. We’re also heading to the academy to recruit.” He grinned, revealing one of his primary goals.
“Recruit?” Adira asked, intrigued.
Malachi jumped in. “Boss wants to form an army of ‘None’ and we all need a group of trained elites. You should start building up your ranger team.”
Adira frowned. “What about Alaric and you? Neither of you have a group.”
“I do have a group” Malachi said with a sly smile. “The Blade of Freedom is mine.”
Hearing his name pulled into the conversation, Alaric crossed his arms. “I don’t need an organization. I am one.”
Adira considered Alaric’s words but couldn’t refute him. Finally, she sighed. “Fine, I’ll recruit some people at the academy.”
“When are we leaving?” Hector asked.
Nova responded “You have 30 minutes to handle your business before we depart.”
“Yes, boss.” They answered in unison as Nova stepped away, disappearing toward the roof in a blur of motion.
The seven generals scattered quickly, each heading off to handle their responsibilities.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Nova glanced down at his armor thinking, ‘I can buy the Ash Robe’.
He called out "Store" in his mind and quickly navigated through it until he found what he was looking for.
[Ash Robe]
· Strength: 6
· Vigor: 19
· Dexterity: 16
· Speed: 18
Price: 6500
‘Buy’
[Are you sure?]
‘Yes’
An ash-colored robe materialized before him, and Nova eagerly gripped it, tossing his light armor back into the Inventory before slipping on the new robe. "This is so much more comfortable" he murmured, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"I need to check my Stats now... Heh."
‘Status.’
[Status]
Rank: 0
Name: Nova Grey
Species: Human
Affiliation: None
Level: 6 (170/500)
Class: None
Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator, Orc Exterminator, Rune Novice
Stat Points: 131
Attributes:
Strength: 127 (+161)
Vigor: 100 (+146)
Dexterity: 150 (+224)
Speed: 110 (+171)
Intelligence: 66 (+76)
Wisdom: 110 (+126)
Will: 9
Luck: 10
Skills
Active: Spear Thrust (15) (146/16384000), Spear Jab (15) (19/16384000), Spear Sweep (12) (687420/2048000), Spear Lunge (10) (789/512000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (757/512000)
Passive: Regeneration (10) (156872/256000), Keen Reflexes (2) (1874/2000), Momentum Streak (9) (218415/256000), One with the Spear (MAX), One with the Footwork(MAX)
‘Gold.’
Gold: 1691
Nova nodded to himself, content for the moment, before closing his eyes and stretching out on the floor. Within moments the soft sound of snoring filled the rooftop.
Bonus Chapter (50 fav)
Bonus Chapter Count: 0
Extra chapter for each milestone Ratings 47/50
?????????? 90%
Reviews 5/20
Followers 263/500
Whoever wants to help and read advanced chapters can check out my .
Thank you for reading.
