47 Art is an...

"Something's bothering you, my love?" A woman wrapped around her arms towards the man. The man did not flinch as if the action was an ordinary occurrence. 

"Too many." The man opened his eyes and continued, "But I'm more worried about not getting the keys. Humans… are a terrible species after all."

The woman jumped through the man's lap and constantly fed him fruits. Their lips were about to meet when suddenly, someone burst through the door. 

"Mommy! Daddy! Yua kept following me!!!" It was a soft voice coming from what seemed to be a kid. 

She wore a white dress donned in fairy-style designs with the insignia of a sword pierced in the heart of a vampire. Her small steps were clumsy as she ran through the large throne. 

There, she saw his mom and dad sitting intimately. 

"Ahh!!!? E-Ehhh?! D-Dad…" Her eyes widened and shocked before bolting back to the exit, "I'm sorry, I won't disturb you now!" 

The man and the woman stared at their little daughter, looked at each other, and smiled in embarrassment. 

"Ah, why are you pinching me!!?" The man pretended to wince in pain as he stared at his wife. 

"It's your fault, hmmp."

"But you're the one who sat on my lap!" 

The woman's gaze intensified fiercely before she coldly spoke, "So I'm the bad guy here huh?" 

The man held his head which was aching in surprise. 

How was she able to sound pitiful, angry, and sarcastic at the same time?

Is this feature for only available for women? 

'Heh.'

But he would not succumb to her words that easily.

"Oh, yes you're the bad guy… and bad guys must be punished." The man grinned evilly as he picked his wife up. 

"W-what punished. D-dear, put me down, please… I'm just joking."

Despite her struggles, the man, however, did not listen and took her towards their bedroom. 

But in the end, they both have smiles on their faces. 

The night grew deeper… 

.... 

The party started with some introduction before the guests were allowed to eat. As they eat, some Awakened would bring up their insights about what to expect in the next 5 years. 

Greece's SS-Class Awakened, Cassia Kallis, explained that perhaps in the next 5 years humans would be at the brink of extinction once again. Almost half of the Asian continent was already in the hands of the monster species. Some South American countries were also on the brink of collapse. 

The total tally of humans' land was 100% and yet humanity only possessed 49% of it. More than half of the land was in the enemy's hands. 

It was hard to imagine what would happen. The next five years after some countries rise and fall from time to time. 

As Cassia discussed countermeasures, Hans excused himself to the bathroom. The scent is getting stronger and stronger. If this continued, Hans felt that it might endanger all other people here. 

[Oh, a hero huh?] 

'I'm not a hero. Just trying to save myself… and the chicken wings.'

It was the best food he ever tasted in his life. He can't just let villains spoil his food, right? 

[I sometimes wonder if you have loose screws in your head.]

As he reached towards the narrow curve where the bathroom was, Hans slipped past through it and instead slinked through the back exit. He only had 5 minutes so he needed to make the most out of it. 

As for the danger, Hans wasn't afraid. He's confident in 'The Balance' skill. As long as their stats were even, neither could kill each other. Of course, he also had some countermeasures unless something got out of hand. 

Shortly, Hans reached what seemed to be a park surrounded by flowers and towering trees. Birds chirped as he walked through the narrow forest. Using all of his hiding skills, Hans quietly slipped past the guards patrolling the area. 

[Don't you think this is a bad idea?] 

"I know."

[Then why?... Oh! I see…] 

Seems like Plundy already realized his plan if all goes down to naught. The trees rustled as he dashed forward leaving a silent trail in the winds. The bushes rattled at the speed of his movement. 

Soon, Hans reached an ample space where the scent is the strongest. The smell of blood immediately assaulted his nose and Hans immediately covered it with his palms.

"Blood?"

Did someone get killed here? 

The scent of blood constantly flowed through the underground but he resisted the urge to dig out. 

At that moment. 

[HANS, HIDE QUICK!!!] 

Plundy warned and without thinking, Hans immediately brought out the 'Ruined King's Cover' and activated it. Aside from its protection from all attacks, Hans also found out one hidden function. 

Erasing all presence. 

Once inside the cover, all of his body, even the soul would be covered. To further confirm its effectiveness, Hans tried sneaking through the Twilight Guild where the guild master resides. 

The guild master is an S-class Awakened but he did not notice his presence at all. 

Hans took a cover under a large tree and activated the item. Soon colorless light enveloped his body; his gaze glued to that space where a whirling portal appeared. 

'A dungeon!' 

Wait, why is it white? 

'I seemed to have seen this type.'

As Hans pondered, a man stepped out of the portal wearing red battle gear with a spear hanging on his back. The man stabbed his spear to the ground before raising his head in Hans' direction. 

'Hmm…' 

Meanwhile, Hans flinched in anxiety. He thought his cover had been busted. Fortunately, the man did not probe further and probably thought it was some wild animal. 

The spear began to glow red before it was absorbed by something in the underground. The red hue continued to pour in as if the spear was feeding it nutrients. 

Hans watched the process and kept track of this abnormal phenomenon. The light gradually began to fade and the man pulled the spear up before the light died out. The man took one last 

Stillness came after. 

[This is not something we can interfere with, Hans.]

Sighing dejectedly, Hans retreated. He knows his limits and seeing that man refreshed his view about strength.

"Should I notify others?" 

Well, even if he did, those people would probably just brush it off. Of course, Hans could understand them. 

Who would dare to attack a gathering with 11 SS-Class Awakened present plus hundreds of S-classes? 

Even the dumbest of monsters would probably take a detour once it saw this lineup. 

[Hmm… that's not a good idea. Just… no.]

As expected, even Plundy disagreed. Considering many things, telling them is indeed not a good option. They were powerful. They have pride. 

[But we can do something at least.]

Hearing an unexpected reply, Hans perked his eyebrows and spoke, "You have a plan?" 

[Well, you could say that.]

Having his interest piqued, Hans immediately asked, "What is it?"

This was the first time Plundy suggested his opinion. 

[Since we can't tell them directly… How about we tell indirectly.]

"How?"

[Do you know how to act?] 

Hans tilted his head with an unsure smile etched on his face. As if understanding his confusion, Plundy continued. 

[I will call it the 'Plundy and Hans' show. Pretty cool isn't it?] 

What show? 

Err, how is he supposed to know? This guy has been muttering something he couldn't comprehend. Hans felt like his face was becoming uncanny. 

[Since the enemy is preparing their 'play', why don't we… make it ahead of schedule?] 

As if puzzles began to shape inside his head, the realization quickly hit Hans. Gradually, a grin formed on his lips together with his heart racing in anticipation. 

The plan wasn't a bad idea at all. 

......… 

"So we could build a barricade in each border—" 

Hans went back to the hall after exactly 5 minutes. It seemed like all of the participants were seriously listening as no one noticed that he had just come back. He slipped past the crowd, wiped his oozing sweats, and sat beside Freya. 

They were listening attentively like little kids. Even Urs who hasn't shown emotion till now also displayed anticipation. 

"What we have to do is build a city under the ocean that can move. That way, cleaning sea monsters wouldn't be a hassle. Of course, if you disagree with me, I can't do anything about it. It's your choice."

Hans nodded. The topic of the discussion was the dungeon formed under bodies of water. It was hard clearing it. According to the statistics, there should be tens or hundreds of Indigo Colored Dungeons under the Pacific Ocean. 

But because of the lack of breathing materials and information, no one wants to risk entering. The Pacific Tragedy was still fresh in their minds after all. 

Now, a concrete plan was being made, and everyone started to have hesitation. They are heroes of humanity that's why it's their job to protect even the bodies of water. 

All of their hard work would come to naught once the seas were full of monsters. 

"I agree with your plan." China's SS-Class, Gu Lian raised his hand. 

Like a chain reaction, every single Awakened in the hall raised their hands in agreement.

The man who was speaking at the stage smiled. Fortunately, their country got the Lost Paradise blueprint. According to the experts, it should be the blueprint for Atlantis— the city under the waters. 

"Thank you ever—" 

SWOOOSH—

BOOOOOM—

 "!!!?"

BOOOOOM—

The hall was swept by huge shockwaves flinging everything to the walls. Shortly after the second shockwave came, the wall completely collapsed burying everyone under the rubble. 

"What the fuck is happening!?" 

"Seems like we're under attack?" 

"Who's crazy madman would attack us!?" 

"Shut up!!!" 

Everyone crouched under the rubbles anticipating another wave but to their dismay, the explosion stopped completely. The dust settled exposing the high-rise building being burned to coke. Even with protective spells, it just can't handle the force of that explosion. 

But still, it managed to safeguard everyone inside the hall so its purpose was pretty much fulfilled. 

Clack—, clack—

One by one, all Awakened stood up with mana rioting in their bodies as if ready to go out. Their hands each held their signature weapons. 

"Anybody hurt?" 

"No, we're fine."

"Thanks but we're fine."

Healers tended to those reporters and photographers who were injured and bleeding. 

Meanwhile, on Hans' side, the three were still sitting on their previous seat, unscathed. Freya activated a barrier spell before the shockwave came, shielding them from outside attacks.

 The same can be said to other SS-Class Awakened. All of them were at their previous seats, calmly observing the surroundings. 

Urs, however, was being covered by an… umbrella? 

How was that supposed to work? 

Well, he was also shielded by Freya and he gave a slight bow to her. 

As Hans swept his gaze around the vicinity, he noticed some S-class managed to activate their shields as well. For him, those who managed to do this are the real strong ones. They reacted on time. Meaning, they haven't left their guard down at all. 

The culprits, however…. 

[HAHAHAHAHA, Now that's what I call fireworks.]

'Damn, I didn't think it's this strong.'

Earlier, before Hans went back inside the building, he stopped by an empty field 3 miles away. They planned to alert the Awakeners and raise their guards. 

To do that, what's better than a super powerful explosion? 

Thus, they devised a plan to create an explosion powerful enough to be considered an attack. He used the items he stole from Jason. A bunch of A-rank items and the only S-rank item were sacrificed to make a believable explosion attack. 

With this, their plan would be a complete success. 

Not only did they alert the Awakened but also, whoever the enemy is… for sure they were pissed.

That's two birds in one stone. 

Enforcers run through every corner around the area, hoping to find the culprit for the attack. Hans stood up and walked around the broken rubbles, helping others trapped under them. 

As for the real enemy's response, Hans left it for these powerful Awakened. 

'Hey, didn't we planted 3 bombs?'

Now, as far as he heard, only two exploded.

...…. 

Venice, Italy. 

"What!!!!?" 

The butler nervously cleared his voice and solemnly repeated, "Someone attacked the place before us, my lord. The others can't sneak around anymore."

The man stood up and kicked the butler off on his face, flinging him to the castle walls. The wall shattered from the force of the collision. 

"Who would dare to foil our plans!!!?" The man angrily kicked and slammed his fist on the golden throne, "Tell me, Ivan!!!"

The butler, Ivan, struggled to stand, but he still managed to speak, "I-I don't know, my lord."

The man was about to vent his anger once again when suddenly a hand caught his shoulder. 

"Daddy, why are you mad?" 

He turned around and saw his wife and daughter peeking at him at the door. The man walked towards his daughter, caressed her hair, and smiled cheerfully. 

"Agatha, Dad isn't mad. I'm just sad that I have to try from the start once again."

"Really?" Agatha held his cheeks and pinched it hard, "Then I will help you! From now on, you will obey my orders!" She then raised her hand and pushed her chest forward, showing supremacy. 

"Don't worry, when you grow up, you'll be sitting on that throne someday."

"But I am an adult now." Agatha grumbled, "I'm six years old!" She continued while raising 7 of her fingers. 

The man laughed and so did his wife. Sensing the lively atmosphere, the butler excused himself and silently bolted out of the place. After a few minutes, Agatha went out to play with her friends, leaving the man and his wife alone. 

Their expressions were grim. 

"I decided to go there myself." The man spoke as the moonlight shone on his face. 

The night grew deeper. 

.......

"Thank God, no one's fatally injur—"

Swooosh—

"Oh, fuck!!!!"

"GET DOWN!!!!!"

BOOOOOOOOM—