The next few chapters

The landscapes beneath Sylza, stretching into the direction, looked as though they vanished into thin air, leaving only shattered buildings and poles engulfed by large dust clouds.

The air was laden with the smell of fear and choking smoke, people's cries audible despite the large distance.

Above it all, these blue rays of light sparkled intensely, swirling through the air like soaring birds before their dazzling flashes faded above the clouds.

"Wasn't that one of Urane's spells?" The second Elder hid behind a magic shield, trembling where he sat.

"You're right, Elder, it's undoubtedly hers," the 4th Noble agreed, cancelling out his magic shield, protecting him and the 3 Elders.

Everything which laid in the force's path was cleared, leaving only rubble and smoldering materials melting beneath the heat. Not a single sign of survival was to be found. Worst of all, it stretched across all three Districts impartially, through a straight line. Everything else that wasn't in its direction was engulfed by hot, burning flames, jumping and spreading from home to home.

Only half of Hadon was in utter chaos, the other half was protected by Sylza Tower's sturdy structure, which withstood the immense pressure. Their main concern was the flames spreading like a plague, leaving only ash and smoke in their wake.

"What the hell is Urane doing?" Sylzao let out a brief whisper.

While the Noble heads wasted no time springing into action.

"So it seems we're on damage control," said the 3rd head, her voice subtle yet commanding.

"The 8th family will handle the north side. We can't let the damage get any worse," said the 8th Noble head, his steady words held hints of panic.

"Then I'll take the west side. My family won't let the flames spread any further!" The 12th Noble head's juvenile attributes were a treacherous disguise to her true personality.

"That means I'm in charge of civilian rescue!" Weldy spoke with an eager grin. He'd never been in the front lines as a Noble.

The Noble heads split their families, with the aim of covering large portions of Hadon as quickly as possible, catering to the aftermath before things got worse. Their coordination was strategic as all 11 leaped into their designated locations.

"Hadon is a large place. Do you think they can control this chaos?" The first Elder asked, his tone shaky as his teeth chattered.

"Yes!" Yadohabi responded. "We might not be as strong as we were 10 years ago, the last time something like this happened, but if there's one thing I'm sure of, the Noble families will deliver."

"And what about the Enemy? Urane? I assume you already have plans for this, Sylzao," The second Elder asked, his demeanor more calm than the other two, locking his eyes expectantly on Sylzao.

"I don't know what to say about Urane... I didn't plan for her to be involved," he took in a deep breath. "White, go in the direction from which the chaos originated and rescue Urane. Leave the enemy to Black."

Sylzao's eyes were fierce, holding a fire of their own, sparking a calm sensation within those still remaining on the Impera.

'Now this is the Sylzao I remember,' Yadohabi's thoughts bore satisfaction.

"And what about Hyosung slay, Sylzao?" She asked with a stiff expression.

"Do what I asked," Sylzao replied, his words sharper than her blade.

"Yes, sir!" Her figure vanished like smoke once more.

All the Nobles were set in place, with their heads skillfully in command as they controlled the disaster.

Some focused on controlling the roaring flames and damage control, others on first aid and rescue, setting the survivors in as many places as they could in the unaffected section of Hadon.

Even in times like this, some of the Nobility focused on social class, few being indiscriminate and kind. The rest? Well, if you weren't a top official in the Middle District or from the Rich District, your better off being burnt by scorching flames.

"Ewww! This commoner looks so filthy."

"Do these people even bathe?"

"How do they live wearing such tacky clothes?"

"I'll have to use disinfectant, ughhh."

Many of the Noble families exclaimed in disgust, treating them like garbage rather than humans.

Black rushed in from the distance, by a stroke of luck, he was within the other half of Hadon, untouched by the disaster. The sight of injured people, many at death's doorstep, left a deep hole in his heart, the smell of blood mixing with the air.

He stopped at the tent where the Nobles were giving treatment. "What the hell are all of you doing? These people only have light injuries... why are the people on the verge of death laying at the side of the road!?" His face reddened as he spoke, spit spraying from his mouth like an open shower.

His questions were met with no response. They didn't need to; he understood what was going on. From the start, he'd been dealing with the prestigious for the majority of his life, yet he still asked.

"I'll handle it from here. Just move to the battlefield," Anita placed her palm on his shoulder, cooling down his boiling rage.

Heeding her words, Black averted his eyes, unable to gaze at them any longer, shifting his body away before darting towards the direction of the chaos, his speed like a flash of light.

"..."

Anita's eyes brushed through the dreadful scene, trying to get a grasp of the situation. "If it's that hard for you to touch them, then just put on gloves and a nose mask." Slamming her palms on her face, "It's not that hard."

"........"

"Well, don't just keep glaring at me. Let's get to work!" Anita commanded in an uproar.

Meanwhile.........

"Mr. Helbert, are you okay?" Oma asked as he leaped over piles of rocks laid across the tunnel path.

The prison beneath was affected as well, though not as much as the surface. It mainly felt like an earthquake had struck, but such a phenomenon hadn't happened in years.

The other guards were trapped in their respective areas since most of the tunnels connecting the prison wards and cells had collapsed.

Oma was separated from his partner in the nearby cavern, fortunately, the walls collapsed in Hyosung's cell where Helbert Loben remained.

"An earthquake? I didn't think that was possible anymore," Helbert's mind drowned in worry, leaning outside Hyosung's cell.

Oma felt a sense of ease wrap his body. The chief warden, Helbert, was unscratched, thus they had nothing to worry about.

However, that was the least on Helbert's mind. Pressing his fingers against his lips, he sunk deeper into his thoughts, cancelling out Oma's presence. The prison was a separate dimension, cut from the Earth's core, so an earthquake wasn't possible, but it was either that or something serious was going on above.

"It's not an earthquake," Hyosung sat with his hands, legs, and neck chained, giving off an intense vibe from his cell.

Stretching a cocky smirk on his face, "Up above us, a great disaster is currently at play, but I'm sure you were already aware of this, Mr. Loben."

"Oh, so are you some sort of psychic, reading my mind?" Helbert replied, hiding the anxiety spurring within him.

"Who, me?" Hyosung snickered. "I'm just your everyday author doing the bare minimum to survive."

"So you've regained your memories!" Helbert's emotions burst out like an open flame as he slammed his palm against the wall, staring at Hyosung with furrowed eyes. "So have you been putting on an act this entire time?"

"Yes & No. It's hard to explain right now, but all I can say is this..." He responded in a nonchalant tone. "Take me to Hadon. I have something of use to the 3 Elders."

"And if I say no?"

"...... Well then, I can't guarantee the safety of all the people of Hadon, including your brother, Ein Hel."

Hyosung's demeanor changed from how it was before, his once insecure gleam now oozing with confidence, almost un-bothered, as though he knew everything would work in his favor.

"What the hell do you mean by this?" Helbert's tone turned eerie.

"Release me from this prison, take me to the surface, and you'll understand everything I'm saying." Hairs covered his facial features as he spoke where he sat, still bound by chains.

Staring at the floor in silence, his mind conspired:

'I've read this Arc's summary from the novel system. Oddly enough, every other arc after that was locked, perhaps the intentional nerf set in place.

I've also studied the character info of every person involved in this arc; their motivations, backstories, unique personalities, and attributes.

From what I've read, Black has the best Mz/Hz in Hadon, so it'd be smart to be on his good books for now. That's if I can survive the major event of this arc, which is the imminent loss of people and resources.

I could stay here, but I'll have to get as involved in this backstory as much as possible to boost my stat from a nameless Extra.

Haaaa...... Just a year, and I'll have a greater advantage than I do now in this new world, similar to my novel.'

"What about Ein Hel? Is there something you're not telling me, Slay?" His fingers tightly clenched the wall with a tight force, cracking it as a result.

"I'm not going to say anything here!" He yelled, slamming his fist against the concrete floor.

"I don't think you should listen to him, sir," Oma cut in from the background. "He's much too crafty, probably up to something."

The transparent screen hung in the air, unnoticed by everyone but Hyosung...

{Character info......}

[ Oma Habi: The rejected heir to the Habi noble clan. His father, Yadohabi, denounced him as an heir to the clan for his weakness at the age of 15. Since then, he'd been living as a street urchin within the Middle Class district, his fellow clan members unwilling to come to his aid. He lived a lowly life till age 18 when he met Urane and Sylzao, who......more ]

'For someone who plays an important role in this arc, Oma behaves more like a side character. Nonetheless, I don't have time to pity him..... but..'

".....Hey, Oma, the reason why your father, Yadohabi, rejected you is because @#†¿·_

§Ω′↑......"

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"What the?"

'Another Nerf? This system is so ass, I hate this so much.'

"Fine, I'll take you to the surface under the condition you remain bound by chains on your hands and feet," Helbert opened the cell, walking towards Hyosung. "Do you agree?"

Hyosung raised his head, staring at him eye to eye, "Then how will I walk if I'm bound by chains?"

Lowering his gaze to exchange glares with Hyosung, "You'll be with me the entire time. I'll help you walk to where you're headed."

"That's fine by me," Hyosung agreed.

Despite Oma's protests, Helbert wasted no time snapping Hyosung loose from the rod restricting him, while keeping his chains bound. Hyosung struggled with the chains as he stood, but Helbert held on to him like a crutch, making sure he mimicked his movements precisely, guiding him through the damp, dimly lit tunnels leading outside his ward.

As for Oma... he just followed silently in the back, his presence holding no importance whatsoever.

A faint purple light, similar to the gems on the walls, glowed in the palm of Helbert's hands until it focused at the tip of his fingers. Each wave of his index finger forced the rocks to shift and shape in its direction, creating a path amongst the rubble with ease.

Oma was stunned, since he'd never witnessed Helbert's Earth affinity magic with his own eyes. Hyosung, however, was more focused on reaching the surface, as nothing Helbert could do would impress him, after all, he knew everything about Helbert, including his magic attributes and stats.

Perhaps it wasn't too late. Hyosung only held bare minimum knowledge on the future events about to befall Hadon, thanks to the arc summary granted by the system. Thus, all he knew was the first main antagonist would arrive and wreak havoc before being beaten by Mintugakye and Hansaki.

He also discovered he was able to increase his level from an Extra, depending on how relevant he became to the overall plot.

If he was able to support Black or White in any way during the main event without dying, he'd become gain plot relevance, allowing him to view his stats.

But the main problem was, how useful could he be without dying??