Chapter 39

Moments before Albert Brown died, things had taken a massive turn on planet Earth.

Wild phenomena started happening on every continent, with many earthquakes and multiple illogical changes taking place, like the appearance of strange portals and powerful monsters all over the globe.

At the moment of Albert's death, people began awakening strange and magical abilities that were out of fantasy books, and a select few individuals were given a "System", mainly those with powerful abilities.

Soon, these individuals used their newly acquired powers to fight back the monsters and establish order in the chaos caused by the change.

Governments, now armed with new knowledge about the changes happening to their planet, established new rules and began testing their populations for abilities. The people with abilities were soon called "Awakeners" and were given a classification based on their abilities and fighting capabilities.

The range for these classes began with the F-rank and reached all the way to the abnormally strong, which were called the S-rank.

However, even the public knew that in reality, there were people in the S-class that were of a different league than the rest, and they were known as high rankers.

The new system was tweaked every day, with people constantly trying to conform to their new reality.

Two years after Albert Brown's death, another change took place, a change that would once again change the structure of society.

Ten people had descended to the planet, all of them claiming to be the original awakeners who were abducted by the inter-dimensional federation and were later set free after completing the requirement to advance their planet in the federation's rankings.

These people were namely: Silas Hayes, Maverick Guthrie, Tsetsegmaa Panchee, Michele Gola, Melody Kelly, Nayeli Whitecloud, Anthony Hall, Ali Abdullah, Juma Kenyatta, and Yamamato Satoshi.

The governments of the world, mainly the Chinese, Russians, and U.S.A., felt uncomfortable with their words and their superior power, so they launched an all-out attack against them, using their most powerful weapons, but the results were shocking.

Not only did they not receive any damage from the weapons, but they managed to singlehandedly destroy the governmental structures and kill the current rulers of planet Earth.

Henceforth, the world was ruled by these ten people, who were known as the ten supremes.

Silas Hayes, "The Truth Emperor"

Maverick Guthrie, "The Time Lord"

Tsetsegmaa Panchee, "The Heavenly General"

Michele Gola, "The Fire Lord"

Melody Kelly, "The Messenger"

Nayeli Whitecloud, "The Nature's Daughter"

Anthony Hall, "The Untraceable Engineer"

Ali Abdullah, "The Gifted Mercenary."

Juma Kenyatta, "The Shadow Lord"

Yamamoto Satoshi, "The Righteous Sword"

Jane Owen was born into a relatively affluent family and never truly lacked anything for most of her life.

Having had a normal childhood, she enjoyed spending most of her time either hanging out with friends or studying.

Thanks to her hard work, she was able to pass into one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, Harvard University.

There, she majored in economics, studying to take over her father's company as a working adult.

It was during this period that she first met Albert Brown, a closed yet kind person.

Albert didn't talk much and mostly kept to himself, but he still made time to hang out with his friends. The friend group understood that Albert, unlike them, was working multiple jobs while simultaneously attending university, which in itself was an amazing feat.

However, the two of them didn't engage in any sort of intimate relationship until a few years later, when the two of them found themselves alone due to their friends making other plans.

One thing led to another, and they found themselves dating soon after. At the start, things were going smoothly; however, their relationship soon hit a wall.

While Jane wanted to advance things further, Albert felt like he wasn't good enough for her, understanding that her background was too different from his.

Thoughts of incompetence and anxiety resulted in an on-and-off relationship, at least until right before his death.

A few hours after Albert's body was discovered, Jane, who was the most recent contact on his phone, was called and informed of his passing.

Distraught and in disbelief, Jane, who had just awakened to her powers, went berserk and completely went on a rampage against Albert's assailants.

It was at a point in time where she possessed both her father's company and her own connections, so finding the true culprits didn't take long, especially with the threat of her newly awakened powers.

Even after severely injuring the assailants, she utilized her connections to give them their deserved punishment of death due to the fact that she was too weak at heart to do it herself despite her new-found powers.

Still grieving over his death, she spent most of her time killing the monsters that seemed to endlessly come out of the gates, becoming known world-wide as an S-Rank awakener due to her abilities and being bestowed the nickname "Purple Hurricane".

After sending her final one-way message to Albert's emergency phone, Jane began to slowly delve more and more into work, trying to forget her grief and move on.

However, despite her many attempts to get over the situation, she still couldn't move on and ended up never dating again.

Numbed by her daily life, she spent most of her days either raiding gates or managing her company, becoming one of the world's richest and strongest people and even becoming a subordinate of one of the Ten Supremes, Nayeli Whitecloud, "The Nature's Daughter".

Moments before Rui sent her a message, Jane had just returned home after a week-long raid. She was prepared to spend some time in peace after hunting monsters non-stop for over a year. However, her relaxation ended when she received a notification on her old phone.

She had kept the phone and number as a backup for a long time, and it was mainly used to contact close friends and family.

Opening her phone, she checked her notifications, finding a message from a number she didn't recognize, at least at the start.

Instantly, memories began rushing back as she recalled the messages she had sent above.

With trembling hands, she began writing a response as fast as possible, sending it in less than a second later.

As soon as the message was sent, she watched with anxiety as the message turned from "Sent" to "Read" and the person on the other side began writing.

Not having the patience to wait, she instantly dialed the number on her phone, calling in both disbelief and anger.

Only one thought rang in her mind at that moment.

"I'll skin whomever is pranking me alive."

After her call with Rui, Jane stared dazedly at her phone for a second, not knowing what to believe.

The person on the other side didn't sound like Albert at all, but they did have the same speaking manner and attitude. What was even more perplexing was the fact that he knew things that only Albert would know.

Jane was certain that someone from an opposing faction was utilizing her dead partner to lure her out, especially now that she was exhausted from the constant raids.

Frowning, she summoned her two most trusted guards and decided to take a look at who was actually so daring as to imitate her dead partner.

But before she could order her subordinates to prepare her car, she called her superior to inform her of the situation.

The phone rang for quite a while before someone answered.

"Jane? What's the matter? You never call me unless it's something serious?"

The voice from the other side sounded serene, yet at the same time it carried a teasing undertone.

Jane couldn't help but smile bitterly at her teasing tone before responding.

"My lady, it seems that a situation has sprung up, and I don't know if it is a trap or not. You see, things are like this...."

She patiently explained what had happened to her so far.

The person on the other side remained silent for a while before speaking with a calm tone.

"I'll send over the Omega Squad just in case anything happens, but honestly, Jane, I don't think anyone would do such a thing, even as a trap. I even used my skill to determine the danger, but there was none."

Jane couldn't help but open her eyes wide in surprise at those words before promptly frowning, not understanding the situation.

"Anyway, I have a lot of work to do, so just be careful. Talk to you later!"

Said the voice in a cheery tone, closing the call before Jane could even answer.

Sighing, Jane ordered her subordinates to get her vehicle ready.

Twenty minutes later, Jane finally reached the area Albert used to reside in. Worried about any sudden ambush, she opened what seemed like a "System" window and purchased many different items.

Exiting the car along with her two guards, she scanned the surroundings with caution.

Jane scanned the surroundings outside the abandoned home and frowned, not feeling Albert's presence in the slightest.

After the apocalypse began, she became one of the few people to awaken to powers and also became a second-wave system user.

Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back, making her hair stand on end.

Turning around, her purple eyes came into contact with a pair of piercing blue eyes.

Dazed, she stared at the man in front of her, her body freezing in tension. The two bodyguards were also unable to move as fear gripped their hearts.

The man was tall, above 190cm, with a well-built physique. His face was also out of this world, being so refined and perfect. His long, jet-black hair was glistening in the sun with a light blue hue. A golden crescent moon earing on his ear was moving freely as he walked.

"Jane, it's me, Albert."

Said the man, stunning Jane to the core.

Jane stared dazedly at the man who claimed to be Albert Brown.

No matter how she looked at it, the man wasn't Albert. Not only were their appearances different, but also their race and voice. It was impossible for her to connect this person with the Albert she knew.

As Jane continued to stare at the man claiming to be Albert, her mind raced with confusion and disbelief. She couldn't comprehend how this person could possibly be her deceased partner. The differences were too glaring to ignore.

"You're not Albert."

She finally managed to say it, her voice laced with uncertainty and a hint of sorrow.

The man's deep blue eyes remained fixed on her, unwavering in their intensity. He didn't seem surprised by her reaction, almost as if he had anticipated it.

"I understand why you would think that, but I am Albert. I know it's hard to believe, but somehow, I've returned."

He replied calmly. His eyes seemed distant for some reason.

Jane's heart pounded in her chest, torn between hope and skepticism. She desperately wanted it to be true—to have Albert back in her life—but it seemed like an impossible miracle.

"You don't look or sound like him. How can you possibly expect me to believe this?"

She questioned, her voice shaking.

The man sighed, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"I know I don't look or sound the same, but trust me, it's really me. Something happened, and I don't fully understand it myself, but I'm back."

Jane's guards, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, their voices filled with suspicion.

"Oi, brat, speak; who are you really? From what we know, Sir Albert died five years ago. You just came out of nowhere claiming to be our lady's man, but you don't have any evidence to back yourself up?"

The man stared at the two guards with a placid expression and shrugged.

"Honestly, it's my words against yours. I really am Albert Brown. You can think of it as a rebirth of sorts, but I guess even that wouldn't make sense since this body is already in its mid-twenties."

The two guards were stunned after hearing his words, unable to understand the situation.

Jane, on the other hand, frowned.

Extending her hand, she launched a purple beam towards the man. The beam wasn't a simple ability; rather, it was one of her most powerful skills, called [Lavender Pulverizer] It was a skill that condensed her energy into a single line, extruding a massive amount of force, enough to kill normal A-rank monsters in an instant.

The man raised an eyebrow at her action. Raising his hand, he slightly waved his palm at the attack, making it disintegrate in a split second before it even came into contact with him.

Jane and the guards were stunned by this, staring in shock as the man tilted his head in confusion.

"Damn… I knew you were aggressive when you were angry, Jane, but I never thought you would attack me. Well, honestly, that's to be expected, since you really don't believe I'm Albert."

The man muttered to himself, scratching his chin.

Jane and the guards looked at each other, not knowing what to do. One of the guards, who was still unsure of what he had seen, used one of his skills.

"[Water Sphere]"

He screamed as a giant sphere of water launched towards the man, who was in deep thought.

The man's eyes suddenly turned cold at the sight of the attack, and the guard felt as if he had met death in the eyes.

The man clicked his tongue and waved his hand once more, stopping the water sphere in midair and moving it on top of an empty grass patch before letting it go gently.

"At least the water will be used somewhere."

He said this, stunning the trio once more.

"Well, I guess enough messing around. You should all just come out; I don't want to hurt my partner's comrades for no reason."

Saying so, the man's immense aura surrounded the area, prompting Jane and her two guards to kneel under the pressure.

Jane, who was sweating from the shock, couldn't believe that such a powerful person existed and that the man claimed to be her deceased partner.

"He is clearly as powerful... No, he is actually more powerful than most of the ten supremes. Where did this monster come from?"

She couldn't help but think in disbelief.

Rui, who had just spread out his runic energy, used bloodline suppression, knowing full well that everyone on earth didn't possess a powerful bloodline.

He had already sensed the arrival of multiple individuals as soon as Jane entered the area; he just didn't expect Jane and her guards to attack him.

But then again, he did say he was a person who bore no actual resemblance to him and was in no way connected to him. It really was a headache-inducing problem for him at the moment.

After using the skill for roughly a minute, Rui disabled it and waited patiently for his assailants to reveal themselves.

In an instant, three more figures appeared in front of him, all three kneeling with their heads lowered, their whole bodies covered in sweat from head to toe.

A man, who seemed to be the leader of the squad, spoke after catching his breath for a second.

"Sir, we are the Omega Squad under Nature's daughter. We didn't mean anything with our actions of spying on you; we were just worried about our team member and were following orders."

Rui glanced at the trio and then turned his head towards Jane, who had experienced the least amount of suppression due to his input.

She was the first one to stand up, understanding that she had received much lighter suppression than the rest. Her guard, who had used the [Water Sphere], was currently lying motionless on the floor, and urine had covered the floor below. From this alone, one could tell he didn't take his actions favorably.

Rui, who honestly had no idea who these rulers were as he had just returned and only briefly studied the current situation, tilted his head in confusion.

"Sorry, but I don't know the current power dynamics on earth. When I died, there were no powers. So who here can explain to me who this Daughter of nature is?"

Jane, along with the members of the Omega squad, were left speechless once again.

"S- sir… Our leader is one of the ten supremes, one of the ten current rulers of planet Earth. You see, most of the governments have fallen since the awakener's society began, so these powerful individuals have become the rulers and…"

The man who had first answered him began explaining the situation in haste, not daring to think of anything else. For some reason, the man felt a threat that was far greater than that of his master's coming from this man.

It was as if he were meeting one of those aliens again. Just thinking of them sent shivers down his spine.

Rui, who was patiently listening to his explanation, suddenly stopped the man.

"Alright, that should be enough. I got the gist of the situation. Can you contact that leader of yours for a meeting?"

He said this before pausing slightly and turning his head towards Jane.

"Jane, let's talk in private. I need to tell you some things."

As Rui requested a private conversation with Jane, the Omega squad member hesitated for a moment before nodding and leaving the area. Jane's guards followed suit, leaving her alone with the mysterious man who claimed to be Albert.

Jane couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions as she stared at Rui. Confusion, hope, skepticism, and grief all battled within her. She desperately wanted to believe that Albert had somehow returned, but it seemed too fantastical to be true.

Taking a deep breath, Jane finally spoke, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.

"Alright, let's talk. But before anything else, tell me how you know things only Albert would know. If you really are him, you should be able to prove it."

Rui stared blankly at Jane, sighing in the process.

"The day of my death, I had just returned from an exhausting day at the office. My mind was drifting to things I had to do, so I didn't realize suspicious people were driving by my neighborhood. Before I knew it, I was shot and stolen from. Truly pathetic, isn't it?"

Jane's hands tightened into fists as she listened to his story. She knew that Albert would have behaved exactly like that, self-loathing included.

Glancing at her tightened fists, Rui smiled and continued.

"Weirdly enough, when I died, I found my consciousness intact for some reason. I didn't know how long it had been, but soon after, I was reborn as a baby. It was a full-on reincarnation, born in a totally different world from earth."

Jane opened her eyes wide at those words, staring directly into Rui's serene yet determined eyes.

"I was born into a loving family, with great parents and later a cute younger brother. Weirdly enough, however, the world I was reborn into was way too different from earth. People called 'Rune Masters' with powerful abilities exist there. They are incredibly powerful and can get infinitely stronger with the powerful by 'cultivating' by absorbing 'runic energy'."

Jane was having a hard time following after the first revelation, not understanding how such a thing was possible. Rui, unbothered by her confusion, continued explaining.

"At age 14, after undergoing the mandatory awakening test, I also awakened as a 'Rune Master, possessing the rune called Ansuz, though that is a matter for another time. I learned that the 'Rune Masters had nine levels, with each subsequent level getting far stronger than the previous one. As a first-rank rune master, I was ten times more powerful than the average human without even training. After reaching the peak of the first rank, I was hundreds or thousands of times stronger than the average human. This was around the time I was 14–15. Right now, if you were to take the time I've spent in dilated time... I have…"

His explanations went on for another hour, going into depth about things he had gone through. Of course, he had omitted some things, such as the system, due to the fact that he knew that Jane also possessed one.

It was all thanks to R.A.I., who was a higher-level system and was able to detect all the systems in the area.