the cover story
When Riven woke up, he could see everyone already looking like they were just waiting for him.
" why am I always the last one to wake up," Riven said as he got up.
"Maybe stop staying up all night," Leo said as he was folding up his covers.
"Haaaaaa haaaa," Riven laughed sarcastically while flipping the former off.
Leo replied by doing the same gesture. After folding up the covers and putting them in a neat spot, they all decided to put on their cloaks and walk out of the apartment room. But when Jordan opened the door, a tall, yellow-haired man stood there, eyes looking impatient with a hint of annoyance.
It was Phineas.
"Ugh. Finally, you took forever. Now let's go. My group already gathered up—you're taking too long," Phineas said as he already started to walk ahead of the group.
"Who made him mad?" Tessa questioned as they all followed the man.
But everyone still remembered the words Emmett wrote out on the board—that Phineas was a dangerous man—so him being angry was most likely not a good sign. Little did the group know, it was a good sign in their case of being useful.
Phineas's annoyance stemmed from the fact that his alchemists had not been able to replicate the awakening potion. Phineas used his top alchemists from the guild, yet none of them could crack the potion or really tell what made it force someone to awaken.
"I knew the potion would more likely be hard to crack, but not near impossible. All night, my alchemists worked, yet no one could replicate the same content as their potions did. Hmph. I thought I could just use them and then try to find a way to get rid of them, but now they actually have use—and now I need them to get my guild up to the top," Phineas thought to himself.
Before he left the building, Phineas turned around.
"So I'm guessing since Emmett here doesn't have a TV in his apartment room, you haven't heard the news," Phineas said, looking at the group with their cloaks and hoods on.
"What news?" Jude questioned.
"It turns out a barrier malfunction happened at the Academy, where a teacher didn't check the barrier fully—allowing beasts to raid the school. Sadly, neither your principals nor your deans were there—they were in a meeting with one of the Families, leaving the school under attack. Due to their combat experience, all of the second and third years were able to survive. But sadly, the first years weren't that experienced yet, which cost most of them their lives—as well as teachers who sacrificed themselves so that others could survive."
The group knew what Phineas was getting at—this was the Academy's cover story for how almost all of the first years and their teachers ended up dead, while also not exposing the existence of other worlds and not exposing that the Academy gave permission to let first years go to those other worlds.
"Barrier?" Jude questioned.
"Ah yes, you didn't know. For the people who never went to the Academy, they are told that the Academy is placed in an invisible barrier that no one can see," Phineas said.
"That's wrong," Tessa said, looking down as tears built up in her eyes. Leo quickly got to her side to cover her.
"We know it's wrong. All we can do now is move forward and be happy that we are alive," Leo said, not only trying to comfort his sister, but also trying to comfort the other students around him, knowing they were probably thinking the same thing.
"Good words, little one. You know you're a bit big to be called little one, but you get what I mean. Be happy that you're alive. But that doesn't mean forget the dead. What the Academy did was wrong. What Darius did was wrong. But always know this: Karma's a bitch."
When Phineas said those last words, he opened the door to the apartment complex and started to walk out into the buzzing city.
Surprisingly, even though it was morning time, the city itself was still highly populated—people going around all over the place, everyone having smiles and looking to be having a great time.
Jude, Jordan, Leo, and Tessa all jumped up a little when they heard a voice in their minds.
"It's crazy how a man will just throw all this away just to be up there with other powerhouses," the voice said—it was Riven, talking through the Telepathic Link skill.
"Give a warning next time! It feels like my mind is being violated somehow," Jude said, not liking a voice just popping up in her head that wasn't her own. "But you got a point. Maybe Emmett was dragging it. By the way he greets them and now how he looks at them all, it looks like he would never turn his back on these people."
"But also remember, that looks can be deceiving," Jordan remarked.
The group of seven then reached the huge tower they had seen when they first entered the Storm Guild's territory. They went a different route than what they did when they first came into the castle-type building. Instead of going to the front desk, they went toward a door, and Phineas put in a certain combination of numbers. The door opened up, revealing a huge room on the other side with dozens of people who seemed like they were waiting.
"Headmaster Phineas is here!" a person yelled out.
"Finally! Now we can truly get this outing over with," another called out.
Before Phineas could walk off toward the front to give his team a debrief, Riven stopped him.
"No more games. Our lives are on the line here. What is this outing even about?" Riven said in a demanding voice. He whispered his sentence, not wanting the other people in the room to hear him.
"Getting into that," Phineas whispered.
He then started walking up in front of everyone, where a black portal was seen—just like the one from the Academy. Phineas started to clear his throat.
"Now, welcome everyone. Today is a special outing for the Storm Guild. Since this is not a normal outing, this outing is directly from the Evolaris Family. Since we are one of their most powerful guilds under their banner, they decided to send us to this world. Now, from their briefing, it is said that this world is dangerous. There are level eight to maybe even level ten beasts on this world."
"Level 10?!" Riven yelled in his mind, with the others hearing him, all equally shocked.
"Not only that, but by the way he said it, there's going to be at least level eight there as well. We only had our first outing—and this is our second one. I don't think we'll be able to do anything here," Jude said, sweating a little.
"Maybe we should get out of here now, but we still have a type of chance," Jordan replied. But before he could continue, Phineas kept going.
"Now I want everyone to do me a huge favor. Do you see those six in the back?" Phineas said, pointing toward Riven and his group and Emmett, all wearing their cloaks—meaning no one could see their faces or facial features.
"Who are they?" a person whispered.
"I don't know, but they must be important if Guild Master Phineas brought them," another responded.
"These are new members of our guild. Now, their identity will not be exposed to you. Only I know that, and it will stay that way. I want you to do your hardest to protect them. If they're in danger, you must come to their aid. Do I make myself clear?" Phineas said in a deep tone, wanting everyone in the room to know that he was serious.
"Yes, sir!!!" everyone in the room shouted, not even putting a second thought into what Phineas just said.
"What a bunch of bull. He doesn't even know our full identity," Riven thought with a dumbfounded look.
"And we should try our hardest to keep it that way," Jude responded back.
"So… should we feel safe about the fact that we're being protected by these people?" Tessa asked, not knowing how to feel about the situation she was now put in.
Riven turned around while everyone was still focused on Phineas and his explanation of what the family wanted them to focus on while being in the world. The young boy started buying weapons. One other thing that he found out about the system is that he had a limit to what he could buy. The limit wasn't based on price—no, it was based on awakening. Riven could only buy the group Level Six and under weapon equipment, but everything after that required a certain awakening.
• Level 7: Fourth Awakening
• Level 8: Seventh Awakening
• Level 9: Eighth Awakening
• Level 10: Tenth Awakening
Riven knew that using awakening potions was not always a good way to try to awaken to the next step. Even though he technically had 1 million system points at his disposal, it still didn't change the fact that it would probably take a large amount of awakening potions to go to the next step. Riven then took the card that the group used to store the million units. He then transferred 200,000 of the units into system points, using them to buy Level Six armor sets—just in case the group needed them.
But when he looked at the prices, he truly realized how much of a difference there was between Level Six and above armor compared to Level Five and under.
Quickly reading into all of them, Riven found the armor sets that he felt would go well with the group's abilities, the same going for individual weapons.
After he bought the armor, he quickly put it into the system so no one could notice it.
"Hey. I just bought all of us armor using 200,000 system points. Luckily, you'll be able to see what your weapon and armor set does, so I advise you guys to look before we enter—just in case you might need them. They correlate to your evolved ability, so you should know which one is yours," Riven said through the Telepathic Link.
When he did, the group looked through the system storage mentally, not wanting people to see them clicking on air.
⸻
Riven
Weapon: Gauntlets of Collapsing Mass
Matte gauntlets etched with deep spirals. Each strike bends the air around the user's fists.
• Active Ability – Graviton Break
The user punches the ground, generating a gravity zone that pulls nearby enemies into the center and slams them down after 1.5 seconds.
• Passive Ability – Gravitational Momentum
Each consecutive strike increases the user's punch force by 10%, stacking up to 3 times. Resets if a strike misses.
Armor: Obsidian Vector Suit
Tight black armor lined with silver veins, designed for shock absorption and sudden bursts of movement.
• Active Ability – Gravity Step
The user dashes with low-gravity acceleration, phasing through enemies for 2 seconds. Can be triggered midair or grounded.
• Passive Ability – Mass Stability
The user is immune to knockback while moving or dashing. Remaining still cancels the effect. note this ability has it's limitations
Combined Stat Bonuses:
Strength +95 | Speed +40 | Durability +80
⸻
Leo
Weapon: Ironmute Blade
A massive, silent blade that hums with each swing, absorbing noise like a void.
• Active Ability – Null Strike
The user slams the blade down, sending out a silent wave that disables sound-based abilities and communications in a 10-meter radius for 5 seconds.
• Passive Ability – Iron Pressure
Each successful strike reduces the enemy's attack speed by 5%, stacking up to 3 times.
Armor: Steelshade Bulwark
Heavy armor reinforced with magnetic locks and layered alloy dampeners.
• Active Ability – Magnetic Field
The user generates a magnetic pulse that halts metal projectiles midair for 4 seconds.
• Passive Ability – Anchor Stance
While stationary, the user gains 15% additional defense and cannot be staggered or pushed.
Combined Stat Bonuses:
Strength +70 | Speed +20 | Durability +120
⸻
Jordan
Weapon: Whisperwind Blade
A long, pale sword that flickers like a mirage when swung.
• Active Ability – Crosswind Slash
The user unleashes a crescent wave of compressed air that cuts through anything in its path.
• Passive Ability – Flow Acceleration
Every successful strike increases the user's movement and attack speed by 5% for 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
Armor: Slipstream Shell
White-blue armor crafted with wind-dispersal panels and reactive joints.
• Active Ability – Air Vault
The user performs a double jump, releasing a wind burst that knocks back nearby enemies at lift-off.
• Passive Ability – Skyfooting
The user takes no fall damage and moves 20% faster while airborne.
Combined Stat Bonuses:
Strength +65 | Speed +95 | Durability +60
⸻
Jude
Weapon: Winterglass Staff
A translucent staff cold enough to burn. The core swirls with frozen mist.
• Active Ability – Ice Spire
The user launches jagged ice into the ground, erupting into frozen spikes and freezing enemies in the blast zone for 2 seconds.
• Passive Ability – Frostbite Pulse
Chilled or frozen enemies take 10% more damage from the user's next spell.
Armor: Glacient Ward
Frost-plate armor layered with reflective cloth, constantly emitting a breath of cold.
• Active Ability – Cryo Veil
The user releases a freezing fog that blurs enemy vision and slows melee attackers for 5 seconds.
• Passive Ability – Icebound Core
Every 30 seconds, the user gains a temporary shield that blocks all incoming damage until it breaks or expires.
Combined Stat Bonuses:
Strength +40 | Speed +55 | Durability +75
⸻
Tessa
Weapon: Emberpiercer Bow
A composite bow that radiates heat and glows with internal embers.
• Active Ability – Firestorm Arrow
The user fires a high-arc shot that bursts into a rain of burning shards on impact, scorching all caught within.
• Passive Ability – Combustion Chain
Hitting the same enemy three times within 6 seconds causes them to erupt in a fiery explosion.
Armor: Ignis Trail Suit
Flare-resistant armor laced with heated plating and ember-streaked joints.
• Active Ability – Flash Blaze
The user performs a high-speed backstep, leaving a flame trail that burns for 4 seconds.
• Passive Ability – Heat Bloom
While the user's health is above 75%, attacks deal 8% additional burn damage.
Combined Stat Bonuses:
Strength +60 | Speed +85 | Durability +55
⸻
"Woah. The stat boosts it gives are incredible," Leo commented.
"Wait a minute… why do I get a bow? I was cold with a shield," Tessa asked.
"Do you really imagine yourself with a shield 24/7?" Riven remarked, trying to plead his case. "And plus, it works with your flame evolution. There wasn't anything for flight, sorry."
"No, no—I understand," Tessa said, not wanting to be rude.
They all stopped talking through the link as they saw Phineas enter the portal, showing them it was time to go in.
⸻
Back at the Academy, the others were all in Wren's training room eating breakfast. That's when they heard a knock on the door. When Wren got up, she could see the person at the door was none other than her mother—and behind her, an aqua-haired man.
"Hey, can we talk?" said Ms. Fallow.
"Harkel! Come out here!" Axel yelled out for his brother.
Harkel left with a look that told his older brother he didn't want to talk.
"Come on. We need to talk," Axel said to his younger brother.
"Same for us," Ms. Fallow said, taking her daughter away from the training room, not even caring who was in the room.
But before Axel and Harkel walked off, Axel realized a few members from their original group were missing. He then gave his brother a hard look, hoping he wasn't doing anything that could get them in trouble.