Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Max didn’t stop...

He followed it up by producing a radio transceiver set no larger than his palm. Then, there was a pair of spare batteries and a packet of preserved jerky wrapped in paper.

He paused, thoughtfully feeling around inside the compartment.

”...I think there’s still a biscuit in here somewhere.”

Minerva quietly covered her forehead with one hand before letting out a long sigh.

”I told you not to demonstrate that in front of other people.”

Max looked confused.

”Why?”

”Because every time you do, someone starts thinking it’s a brilliant idea.”

”It is a brilliant idea.”

Across the table, Jillian couldn’t help shaking her head.

”I’ve already treated him seven separate times because of those ’brilliant ideas.’”

Max immediately pointed at her.

”That’s completely out of context.”

Jillian raised an eyebrow.

”You installed a spring-loaded launcher inside your own arm without testing the recoil.”

”It worked.”

”It exploded.”

”...Only once.”

The dining hall immediately erupted into laughter.

Even Shane found himself smiling.

Some things, it seemed, never changed. The Apocalypse had transformed the world beyond recognition, shelters had become fortresses, ancient civilizations were beginning to reveal themselves, and humanity had been forced to evolve just to survive.

Yet somehow, Max was still Max.

The only real difference was that he now carried half of his belongings inside his own arm.

***

In the meantime, more than a month had passed since Rain Veynar suffered the greatest humiliation of his life from Alex and Merlin...

Despite the passage of time, the memory refused to fade.

He could still remember the expressions on the faces of the Survivors who had witnessed the duel, the rumors that had spread throughout Little Rock Shelter afterward, and, most importantly, the expression Alex had worn while effortlessly dismantling the spell that Rain had proudly considered his greatest achievement.

The defeat had spread far beyond the marketplace where it had happened.

Within only a few days, nearly everyone inside Little Rock Shelter had heard that Rain Veynar, one of the promising Mages of the Silver Crest Clan, had been defeated by an unknown young man who had an old mage as his master.

For someone who valued his reputation above almost everything else, the humiliation was unbearable.

Fortunately, Rain wasn’t foolish enough to rush after his enemies immediately.

He understood that his defeat had not been caused by carelessness alone. Alex had genuinely been stronger than he had expected, while Merlin’s guidance had clearly elevated the young man’s combat abilities to an entirely different level. Charging after them with the same strength would only result in another embarrassing loss.

Because of that, Rain temporarily abandoned the idea of revenge and focused instead on increasing his own strength.

During the following weeks, he accepted every dangerous commission he could find around Little Rock Shelter. Whether it involved eliminating mutated beasts, escorting merchant caravans through Zombie-infested territories, or clearing monster nests for neighboring settlements, Rain accepted them all without hesitation.

His clan also invested considerable resources into him.

Although many of the clan elders had criticized his greed for provoking Merlin in the first place just for a World Tree branch, they couldn’t simply ignore the fact that one of their core members had been publicly humiliated. Whether they admitted it or not, Rain’s defeat had also damaged the Silver Crest Clan’s prestige.

Rare spell scrolls, magical materials, enchanted equipment, and Spirit Stones were gradually poured into Rain’s cultivation.

After several weeks had passed, Rain had become noticeably stronger than before.

However, none of it mattered if he couldn’t find the people responsible.

Merlin and his disciples had seemingly disappeared without a trace.

Rain spent a considerable amount of money hiring intelligence brokers and gathering information from merchants who frequently traveled between shelters, yet every lead ended the same way. Some claimed the old mage had headed north, while others insisted they had seen him entering another Neutral Shelter weeks earlier.

None of the reports could be verified.

Rain had begun wondering whether Merlin had deliberately erased his tracks.

It wasn’t until one afternoon that one of the intelligence brokers he had hired finally returned with useful information.

”The investigation is complete.”

Rain immediately looked up from the spell book in his hands.

”You found them?”

”I believe so.”

The hooded broker placed a folded document onto the table.

”They’re currently staying in the Eclipse Domain.”

Rain’s fingers froze.

The Eclipse Domain.

Even he had heard countless stories about that place.

It was the territory governed by Shane, the Rank One Survivor whose name had become synonymous with humanity’s strongest force. Countless Survivors dreamed of entering that shelter, while ambitious clans avoided provoking it unless absolutely necessary.

Rain slowly frowned.

”Are they affiliated with Shane?”

The broker shook his head.

”I couldn’t find any evidence of that. From the information I gathered, they simply rented a residence inside the shelter. They rarely interact with the local authorities and mostly keep to themselves.”

Rain sat back in his chair as he quietly processed the information.

That answer made an enormous difference.

If Merlin had become one of Shane’s trusted subordinates, Rain would immediately abandon any thoughts of revenge. No amount of pride was worth making an enemy of the world’s strongest Survivor.

However, if Merlin was merely another resident...

Then everything changed.

People entered and left the Eclipse Domain every day. Merchants, adventurers, mercenaries, and independent Survivors constantly passed through its gates. As long as he didn’t create trouble inside the shelter itself, there was no reason for Shane or the Eclipse Revenant Clan to concern themselves with a private conflict between Survivors.

A faint smile gradually appeared on Rain’s face.

”So... you’ve been hiding there.”

He slowly stood before looking toward the men waiting outside the room.

”Gather everyone.”

Several members of the Silver Crest Clan immediately straightened.

”We’re leaving for the Eclipse Domain.”

His gaze turned toward the distant horizon beyond the window...

He wasn’t planning to challenge Shane, nor was he foolish enough to cause trouble inside the Rank One Survivor’s territory.

He simply intended to wait.

Sooner or later, Merlin and his disciples would appear in the shelter.

And when that day came... Rain Veynar intended to erase the humiliation that had haunted him for the past few weeks.