The Extra's Odyssey

The man had a cold look on his face and looked young. In fact, he looked like a young student who had just entered the university.

He was wearing a black cloak and leather armor with a longsword hanging from his waist. He had the same eyes as Iris, but they seemed more serious than hers.

Under the man's gaze, who looked exceedingly similar to Iris, Iris returned to her previous demeanor.

Mia, Albert, and Peter followed Iris and occupied one side of the table.

Huntress saw this exchange with furrowed brows. Clicking her tongue, she beckoned Isabell and Leon to follow her.

The three sat on the opposite side, where three more people were sitting.

When everyone was settled, Huntress opened her mouth.

"This is the 3rd meeting of this year, two more than the fixed quota. The previous meeting was to discuss the 'item' as well as the dungeon break in the north."

Umbra and Aegis were not friends by any means, however, there had been many instances where they worked together.

Tak-

The man sitting at the head of the table tapped his finger on the armrest of the chair.

His cold gaze swept through the six Goliaths before he spoke.

"Miss Huntress, before we begin, can you clarify the decision that was made regarding the item?"

The man's identity was not something Huntress could ignore. He was one of the strongest beings on Earth.

He was Zion, the acting head of Umbra and a peak Gamma-rank awakener.

Huntress tapped a button in front of her, and a hologram appeared in the air.

[Code Name: Item

Excavation Site: Stage-2 Gargoyle Dungeon

Identity: Divine Beast Egg

A divine beast egg was discovered in the Stage-2 Gargoyle Dungeon owned by Aegis. However, the moment the egg was moved from its place, a dungeon break occurred.

This was the 8th Dungeon break ever since the First Great Disaster. As a Stage-2 Dungeon, its outbreak could have resulted in a great loss of property and life.

Due to the absence of Pioneers, a team of Hatamoto and Gamma-rank awakeners was made.

Result: 1/3rd of the team perished and 2/3rd were fatally injured.

Umbra has been contacted for backup.]

This was the 8th dungeon break ever since the First Great Disaster.

A dungeon disappears after clearing it a few times. This can vary from 1 time to 10 times.

In case of a dungeon break, all these monsters are released in one go.

To top it off, this was the first time a Stage-2 dungeon break occurred.

The first two dungeon breaks transpired during the First Great Disaster, while the next five happened before the Second Disaster. All these dungeons were Stage-1.

Studying these cases, it has been proclaimed that dungeon break only occurs when Earth's Aether level passes a certain threshold, putting it into the next 'Stage'.

Currently, Earth was still a far cry from reaching Stage-3. As such, it would be an overstatement to say that Aegis, or any other organization for that matter, was prepared for a dungeon break, much less a Stage-2 Dungeon break.

[Umbra has agreed to help in exchange for the Divine Beast Egg]

It was not that Aegis did not have awakeners, but that they were busy on the frontlines. By the time help from the frontlines arrived, the damage would have been astronomical.

The Gargoyles were all 4~5 star monsters, with the boss' being 6 stars. With their ability to fly, it was extremely difficult to stop them from spreading or escaping.

In that situation, Aegis had no choice but to ask Umbra for Zion, better known as Stormweaver.

[Negotiations with umbra have been done.

Result: The owner of Divine Beast Egg will be decided by Gladiator Championship being held by Umbra]

The tournament, being small-scale, ensured that both organizations wouldn't lose any strong awakeners while still keeping the news about the egg under wraps.

It was a fair deal.

It was supposed to be.

Tak-

Zion's gaze bore down on Huntress.

"I agreed to the negotiations on Headmaster's proposal. But…."

The furniture in the room began cluttering from the gales running throughout the room. The table creaked, and the walls were cracked and splintered.

Leon, Isabell, and Peter started hyperventilating as Zion's pressure leaked into the room.

Tak-

"…what is the meaning of the infiltration? Should I take it as Aegis declaring a war on Umbra?"

The tension in the room grew taut. The situation was slowly beginning to near the breaking point of a conflict.

This time Aegis has overstepped their boundaries and, with the absence of Pioneers, Zion was trying to get an upper hand with force.

Huntress and Iris wrapped Leon, Isabell, and Peter in their combined pressure. If they did not, the three could have died from energy oversaturation.

Seeing the two working together, Zion increased his pressure.

"What are you doing, brat?"

Suddenly, a chilly atmosphere engulfed the room.

Screeech-

Two newcomers entered the room.

Seeing them, Huntress sighed in relief. The situation would no longer turn for worse.

Tap- Tap-

Two people entered.

An old man was at the forefront.

Behind him was a man with slumped shoulders and lanky eyes. He was wearing a long purple robe with a hood over his head. It wasn't that he hid his face from view; rather, it just seemed like there were no features visible behind the dark shadow of his hood.

The man was Techno. Together with Psychic, he was the brain behind Goliaths.

However, no one paid attention to him. Everyone was looking at the old man.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, with an air of authority about him. His hair had been cut short to his chin, but still showed off his age with a few white streaks.

He was wearing a white suit beneath a white topcoat. A frosty breath escaped his lips every time he breathed. With each step, the floor beneath him froze, and sat at the empty head of the table. The entire hall was frozen solid as well, except for the table and the figures sitting around it.

The strongest awakener on Earth has arrived.