"D-Rank? Is it really him? Or was the Old Ancestor mistaken?"
A flicker of light and shadow passed through Magnus’s eyes.
Evelyn was his daughter. How could Magnus possibly remain completely calm when it came to her?
The Sterling Family had once been a first-rate Family in the Creston City. But eighteen years ago, the entire family had relocated to Silverwood City.
At this moment, Magnus’s thoughts drifted back to the past.
"Magnus, my time is running out. This time, I even exhausted my remaining lifespan to divine a sliver of possibility for our future.
"Among the countless possibilities I foresaw, the turning point in our Sterling Family’s fate lies with your daughter..."
"The Otherworldly Beasts come from an incredibly powerful Star Domain. To them, our Earth is nothing more than one of countless planets they invade.
"Although Blue Star has developed at an astonishing pace over the past five hundred years, and countless powerhouses have emerged, we are still far too weak.
"Worse, there are still many traitors among our strongest warriors.
"The current powerhouses of Earth are incapable of changing humanity’s situation, let alone breaking through the blockade imposed by the Otherworldly Beasts.
"To them, humanity is nothing more than livestock they’ve raised for their amusement.
"And the Otherworldly Beasts themselves are merely one of countless races. They belong to the Primal Beast Race, and they aren’t even considered one of the strongest races among them.
"Our Earth is still far too weak.
"Thirty years from now, humanity will face an unprecedented calamity.
"And among all the countless possibilities I have seen, the only variable lies in Silverwood City."
"Our Sterling Family’s opportunity is also in Silverwood City.
"Magnus, take the family to Silverwood City. Remember, do not interfere with your daughter’s choices. And above all, you must do everything in your power to protect her..."
The Old Ancestor’s weak voice seemed to echo in Magnus’s ears even after all these years.
Yet at this moment, a trace of doubt surfaced in his eyes.
Was Lucian truly the variable the Old Ancestor had spoken of?
Could a mere D-Rank Talent really save the Sterling Family and perhaps even all of Earth—from the calamity that awaited them?
Ever since Evelyn had been found in the Slums on the outskirts of Silverwood City at the age of nine, Magnus had sensed that something was strangely wrong.
His daughter had always been surrounded by the bodyguards he had personally assigned to protect her.
Yet on that particular day, something impossible had happened.
Evelyn’s bodyguard, a powerful Martial Artist, had somehow lost track of her despite keeping a close watch on her the entire time.
She had simply vanished.
Not a single trace of her whereabouts could be found.
It was half a month before his daughter was finally found again.
And when she was found, she was in the Slums on the outskirts of the city—with a child from the Slums.
That child’s name was Lucian.
From that moment onward, Lucian had entered Magnus Sterling’s field of vision.
Lucian’s birth, his life afterward, how he had met Evelyn, and everything that had happened during their years together, Magnus knew it all.
Even yesterday’s Awakening had not escaped his notice.
He knew that Evelyn had secretly taken an extra Awakening Pill.
So Magnus wasn’t surprised in the slightest when his daughter awakened an S-Rank Talent.
After all, he himself was an S-Rank Awakened.
What truly puzzled him was Lucian.
The boy who had been marked as the variable had awakened only a D-Rank Talent.
In Magnus’s eyes, Lucian was already the variable that could determine the future of the Sterling Family.
So how could the person who was supposed to change their fate possibly awaken with nothing more than a D-Rank Talent?
Since relocating to the remote Silverwood City eighteen years ago, this was the first time Magnus Sterling had ever felt uncertain.
Lucian had always been under his watch.
A D-Rank Talent might indeed be considered exceptional among ordinary people, but in Magnus’s eyes, it was nothing remarkable.
Could he really entrust his beloved daughter to someone like that?
Or had the decision he made all those years ago been a mistake?
But whenever Magnus recalled the Old Ancestor’s resolute gaze, he refused to believe it.
The intelligence the Old Ancestor had obtained at the cost of his own life could not possibly have been wrong.
Since things had already come this far, Magnus decided to let fate take its course.
Even if Lucian wasn’t the variable they had been waiting for, there was no harm in letting Evelyn live a happy life.
As for entrusting the future of Blue Star to two children...
That was simply too much.
After all, we old fellows aren’t dead yet.
...
At that moment, Evelyn Sterling and Lucian were happily cruising along in the Ferrari, heading toward Lucian’s home.
The journey was a little over twenty kilometers, not particularly far, but the road conditions were far from ideal.
At first, tall buildings lined both sides of the road, one after another. But as they traveled farther from the city, the buildings gradually disappeared, replaced by a few scattered houses.
The road ahead was almost deserted.
Only a handful of cars passed by.
Surrounded by lush greenery, with birds singing softly in the distance and a gentle breeze brushing against his face, Lucian felt unusually relaxed.
And with Evelyn beside him, he couldn’t help feeling even more at ease.
Before long, the Ferrari turned onto a secluded path.
The road was so narrow that it was barely wide enough for a single car. If another vehicle approached from the opposite direction, one of them would have to pull over and make room.
The trees on either side grew increasingly dense, their branches forming a natural canopy overhead.
But at that moment, Lucian suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
The familiar birdsong had disappeared.
There was no rustling of leaves.
No insects.
Nothing.
The forest was unnaturally quiet.
"Young Miss, stop for a moment. Something’s not right."
Hearing the seriousness in Lucian’s voice, Evelyn immediately slowed the Ferrari to a stop.
She looked ahead.
The surroundings were eerily silent, and a large fallen tree had been deliberately or perhaps coincidentally left across the road, completely blocking their path.
Evelyn’s expression turned serious as well.
She exchanged a glance with Lucian.
"Is it a person... or an Otherworldly Beast?"
"I don’t know," Lucian replied calmly. "But whatever it is, it’s coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, five dark figures slowly emerged from the dense forest ahead.
They weren’t people.
They were Otherworldly Beast Wolves.
Each wolf stood more than a meter tall and stretched over two meters from head to tail. Their massive bodies were covered in thick fur, and their sharp fangs gleamed as they slowly advanced toward the Ferrari.
Five pairs of cold, bloodthirsty eyes locked onto Lucian and Evelyn.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
...
In a dark corner, a figure quietly reported,
"Clan Chief, Young Miss and Lucian have encountered five Otherworldly Beasts on the road. Four are First-Order, First-Stage, while the remaining one is a First-Order, Second-Stage Otherworldly Beast. Should I intervene immediately?"
Magnus Sterling remained silent for a moment.
"No need to rush. Let Young Miss and Lucian handle them on their own first. If they truly face a life-threatening situation, then you can step in."
His voice was calm and composed.
"They need to grow stronger, after all."
"Yes, Clan Chief."
...
"Lucian, there are five Otherworldly Beasts. According to the Otherworldly Beast Compendium, four are First-Order, First-Stage, while the remaining one is First-Order, Second-Stage. We need to leave immediately. We’re no match for them."
As she spoke, Evelyn pressed down on the accelerator, preparing to reverse the Ferrari.
But Lucian’s expression had already turned grim.
His home was less than ten kilometers away.
And his grandmother was there.
He had no idea how she was doing.
These beasts couldn’t be allowed to get any closer.
They had to die.
However, Lucian had never fought an Otherworldly Beast before. Even with a hundred Shadow Soldiers in his Martial Soul Space, and despite the fact that they were now far stronger than when they had first appeared, he still couldn’t guarantee that they could defeat five Otherworldly Beasts, especially one at the First-Order, Second-Stage.
Lucian’s eyes darkened as he considered his options.
He glanced at his personal Martial Artist Terminal.
The only contact listed there under the title of Martial Artist was Principal Warren.
After a brief hesitation, Lucian sent him a message.
"I’ll get out and buy you some time. I’ve already contacted Principal Warren through the Martial Artist Terminal."
In the end, Lucian decided to get out of the car.
The path was simply too narrow, and Evelyn couldn’t reverse quickly enough. If they wanted to escape, someone had to draw the beasts’ attention and hold them back.
"Lucian, this isn’t the time to be reckless!"
"Trust me. I have a way."
Lucian looked at her seriously.
"I’ve already put on the armor you gave me yesterday. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you."
Before Evelyn could say anything else, Lucian quickly opened the door and stepped out of the Ferrari.
He closed the door behind him, then gripped the Ice Shard Sword tightly in his hand.
His gaze settled on the five approaching Otherworldly Beast Wolves....
In the shadows, the figure watching from a distance couldn’t help but admire Lucian’s courage.
"This young man has quite a bit of courage."
...
Hearing the Ferrari’s engine fall silent, Lucian turned around and saw Evelyn stepping out of the car.
She pulled the long whip from around her waist and glared at him angrily.
"You! Why won’t you listen to me?"
"You too? Why did you get out?"
Lucian’s expression changed.
"Get back in the car and leave!"
But it was already too late.
The situation had taken a turn for the worse.
The five Otherworldly Beast Wolves had already begun charging toward them.
Their massive bodies moved with astonishing speed, kicking up dust as they rushed down the narrow path.
Five enormous wolves surged toward Lucian and Evelyn like a pack of predators closing in on their prey.
"Shadow Soldiers, come out! All of you! Kill these five Otherworldly Beast Wolves!"
Lucian shouted inwardly.
Not wanting to take any chances, he summoned all one hundred Shadow Soldiers from his Martial Soul Space.
At the same time, Evelyn fully revealed her weapon.
She snapped out her Third-Tier long whip, gripping it tightly as she prepared for a desperate battle.
In an instant, a hundred shadows emerged from the darkness.
Each Shadow Soldier wielded a blade-like weapon, and under Lucian’s command, all one hundred charged toward the five Otherworldly Beast Wolves.
Lucian had originally assumed that most of his Shadow Soldiers would serve as little more than cannon fodder. At the very least, they could wear down the beasts’ stamina and weaken them before the remaining Shadow Soldiers used the Shadow Kill Secret Canon to strike from the shadows and catch them off guard.
But what happened next completely stunned him.
The five Shadow Soldiers at the very front raised their Shadow Blades and unleashed the Blood Battle Saber Technique, which they had already cultivated to the Proficient level.
Their movements were swift and ruthless.
Faced with the ferocious Otherworldly Beast Wolves, the five Shadow Soldiers barely gave them any chance to fight back.
In the blink of an eye, four of the wolves were cut down.
The final wolf was slightly stronger than the others and managed to struggle on for a few more moments.
But that only delayed the inevitable.
A flash of cold light swept across its neck.
Its massive head was cleanly severed and crashed to the ground.
The entire battle was over in an instant.
Lucian and Evelyn, who had been prepared for a desperate battle, stood frozen in shock.
Even Dark One, who had been watching from nearby, was left speechless.
"Clan Chief, something has changed."
"What happened?" Magnus Sterling asked, his expression puzzled.
It had only been a moment. What could possibly have changed so suddenly?
"Lucian seems to have summoned a hundred Shadow Soldiers, and then..."
Dark One paused, as if he still couldn’t believe what he had witnessed.
"The five Otherworldly Beast Wolves didn’t even last a moment against five of those Shadow Soldiers. They were killed almost instantly."
Silence followed.
After a long while, Magnus finally spoke.
"Dark One, are you certain Lucian only Awakened yesterday? And that he truly has a D-Rank Talent?"
"Yes, Clan Chief."
"He only Awakened yesterday and isn’t even a Martial Artist yet, yet he can instantly kill five Otherworldly Beast Wolves?"
Even Magnus found the situation difficult to comprehend.
Dark One took a deep breath before answering.
"Reporting to the Clan Chief, I personally witnessed Lucian’s Awakening yesterday. There is absolutely no possibility that he Awakened earlier."
Although Dark One was equally shocked by what had just happened, there was no doubt about it.
Lucian had indeed only Awakened yesterday.
Once again, Magnus fell into a long silence.
His eyes gradually narrowed.
Is this truly be the work of desitny.