Chapter 54: I’m A C Ranker now?
Chapter 54
"Zen, Zen, Zen, Zen! Welcome to my world where I will crush and destroy you for almost ruining my business. You have survived so far by sheer luck, but I’m intrigued to see how much more you will survive."
"Muhahahaha!"
The sound of chilling laughter and those mocking words echoed in Zen’s mind, and the next moment, his eyes snapped open. He instinctively tried to shoot upright from his position but immediately froze when he felt something weighing heavily on his hand.
Glancing down with beads of sweat cascading down his face, he quickly realized he was back in his small room. He was lying on his narrow bed, the kind that could barely fit two people if they squeezed in tightly.
And what was weighing down his arm?
A beautiful young woman.
Her hair shimmered like obsidian silk, flowing down to her lower back, strands shifting ever so slightly with each calm breath she took. At the moment, she was sound asleep, a small dribble escaping the corner of her lips as if she had drifted into the deepest of dreams.
She wore a simple sleeveless top, one clearly chosen for comfort and free movement. Yet, the shirt clung lightly to her figure, hinting at her slightly robust chest that pressed against the fabric with no restraints beneath.
Her lower body was clad in a pair of bum shorts that ended just above her thighs, exposing smooth pale skin.
Right now, she looked almost angelic in her innocence, and the sight made Zen’s lips curve into a faint smile. He slowly eased back against the bed, careful not to disturb her, his eyes lingering on her peaceful face with an unexpected warmth.
’Aria... she’s quite cute if I must say,’ Zen thought, almost amused by the new feeling stirring in his chest.
But no sooner had the thought formed than his mind flashed back to someone else—the first girl in this new world who had truly made his heart pound like a drum.
Erin.
The name itself carried weight in his heart.
The way her beauty had caught his gaze that day. Even the coldness in her words had only sharpened her charm.
Her graceful movements, her powerful aura, the elegance in her strength—everything about her had etched itself into Zen’s soul. She was unlike anyone he had ever encountered back in reality.
’I think I’m in love,’ he admitted to himself with a faint inward chuckle. ’But would she even look at me the same way? I mean, I still look frail. Sure, I’m a little stronger than before, but I doubt I fit her type. Especially when I’m just a lowly D rank...’
A soft sigh slipped past his lips, and he shook his head slightly as though he could dismiss the ache in his chest.
’There’s no need thinking about that now. I won’t know if she will reject me or not unless I try. I don’t know why, but I feel quite sleepy. I wonder if the others are okay after that gate raid.’
He closed his eyes, trying to drift back to sleep. His mind, however, refused to rest. A drowsy heaviness clung to him, yet unease stirred deep within.
For some reason, thoughts of his teammates plagued him—were they safe after the gate raid? Were they all alive?
And then, in a sudden flash of realization, his eyes flew open wide. His heart nearly jumped into his throat.
’Wait! Gate raid?!’
His mind roared as the memories crashed down like a tidal wave.
The morning had started with him trying to grab breakfast. He had then been approached by another player—Jace who suggested a raid. It was supposed to be a simple C rank gate, but once inside, they discovered the truth. It was no mere C rank. It was a deadly B rank.
One by one, C ranked beasts had lunged at them, relentless and vicious. Zen remembered the chaos, the fear, the fight for survival.
They had barely managed to push through, their lives hanging by a thread, especially Jace’s. Blood, claws, and the sound of bones cracking still echoed in his ears.
And then... there had been that moment. That reckless, desperate moment.
In what could only be described as either bravery or utter stupidity, Zen had grabbed the old lantern and dashed forward to face the monster head-on in an attempt to save Jace’s life.
’Wait! Why in the world did I even pick up that lantern?’ he groaned internally, his face twisting as though he could slap himself across the cheek right then and there. ’How foolish of me to think that a lantern of all things could stop a B ranked beast.’
The thought gnawed at him bitterly, the memory of the beast’s overwhelming aura making his skin prickle. Even in hindsight, the absurdity of it left him speechless.
Yet deep down, another truth lingered—without that reckless move, Jace would have surely died.
’But come to think of it, I thought I died after that explosion. How come I’m back in my room? Hale and hearty. What’s wrong? How am I back here?
Is everyone okay? Wait! Am I okay? I mean, what if it was all a dream?’ Zen thought, his throat going dry as he quickly glanced at his system after remembering that he received certain boosts during the fight with the C ranked beasts.
’Yup! I wasn’t dreaming. So everything was real?! So how did I survive?’ He questioned himself as his eyes remained glued to the system until something unusual caught his attention.
"Huh? How come?" He muttered silently, his eyes fixated on the glowing status screen.
{Status}
{Name: Zenixx}
{XP: 300/800}
{Level: 9}
{HP: 65/65}. {STR: 38}
{AGI: 31}. {INT: 38}
{NP: 100}
---
’How did I level up so massively? Wait! How the freaking hell do I have such insane stats? What the hell is going on?’ Zen thought as he unconsciously clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, feeling the raw strength surging through him like a current waiting to be unleashed.
Then, something shimmered faintly at the back of his hand, drawing his attention. He glanced down, and his eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
In an instant, he sat upright, his sudden movement startling him, but luckily, Aria had already shifted away from his hand.
There, engraved on his skin, was the Silverfall Clan’s symbol glowing as bright as day, proof that he was officially recognized as a member of the clan.
But that wasn’t what froze him. His gaze dropped lower, to a small letter beneath the mark. It shimmered faintly, almost as though it was trying to fade, but when Zen clenched his fist again, the letter flared to life, glowing even brighter.
"No... I don’t believe this." Zen muttered, his voice trembling as his eyes remained locked on the letter. "I must be dreaming." He quickly pinched his arm, harder than usual.
The pain coursed through him instantly, a brutal reminder that this was no dream.
’Shit! I’m not dreaming. But ho...how is this possible? How the fuck am I a C rank Reaver?!’ Zen yelled inwardly, panic lacing his thoughts as he stared at the glowing letter C. The same mark that had only recently shown an F when he joined the clan, and then a D after his progress. But now... it was unmistakably a bold C rank.
His mind reeled. ’This has got to be a joke, right? That gate raid wasn’t enough to push me this far. I don’t even have enough MP to rank up, so ho... unless...’ His thoughts stuttered as realization dawned, his eyes widening in horror.
Quickly, he navigated to his system, his fingers trembling as he pulled up his last notifications.
When the message finally appeared, Zen felt like his head might split open from the sheer weight of confusion and disbelief.
The notification was bold, bright, and utterly impossible.
{Host has done the impossible.}
{Something unnatural has occurred.}
{Host has awakened his Essence Veil}
Zen’s breath caught. His heart thundered so violently in his chest it felt like it might burst.
"How the fuck is this possible?!" he screamed aloud, his voice echoing in the room, filled with nothing but raw disbelief and shock. He was completely, utterly, and totally dumbfounded.