Chapter 8: A Storm Behind the Mask
The rain had stopped.
But the silence that followed felt even heavier.
Division Zero had vanished as quickly as they came, leaving only a trail of ruptured ground and scorched trees behind. Their teleportation markers shimmered faintly in the air—traces of a technology far beyond the public's reach. It was a warning.
They had noticed him.
Luo Shen stood unmoving on the shattered path outside the academy gates. His hoodie clung to him, damp and blood-specked—not his own. The air was thick with mana residues, and behind him, Lian Shen trembled beside her half-hatched egg.
"…Ge-ge," she whispered.
He turned slowly.
The mask of indifference he usually wore cracked for the briefest second. "You okay?"
She nodded, but her eyes lingered on the crater nearby—the one caused by a single glance from her brother. She had never seen anything like that. Her own power had grown rapidly since her awakening, but what she just witnessed…
That was on another level.
Meanwhile, across the globe, governments were panicking.
Not from the abyss portals, or the monsters. Those had become a known terror.
But from him.
"Subject-0041 registered a Tier ?? Energy Signature. Chaos-Class Potential confirmed."
—Excerpt from a classified Division Zero alert report.
"He cannot be allowed to move freely."
—Council Director Magnus, Human Defense Coalition.
The world was waking up to the truth: some humans were no longer just evolving—they were becoming gods.
[System Notification]
Global Announcement: New World Order Update
The ranking system has been expanded.
Chaos-Class has been formally added.
Only one user is currently registered at this level.
Codename: ████
Back at the academy, students were starting to whisper.
The bullies who once mocked Luo Shen had gone completely silent. One was missing a tooth; another limped with a cane after the "incident." But none dared to talk anymore.
Luo Shen didn't punish them openly—just enough to send a message.
Now, they called him:
"The Phantom Scholar."
"The Guy Who Silenced Division Zero."
"The One With That Look."
Still, he pretended to be average.
His hoodie returned. His cold expression resumed. But within him, the Chaos Infinity System continued to evolve.
That night, inside his System Space, Luo Shen sat beneath a black crystal tree, surrounded by shelves of forbidden scrolls and glowing relics.
[System Shop] — New Items Unlocked
Voidstep Boots (Abyssal) – 150 SP
Grimoire of Time Fracture (Chaos) – 1,000 SP
??? Egg (Undiscovered Origin) – Free (Claim Now)
He tapped the last item.
A strange egg appeared in his hand, dark as the void, pulsing with energy unlike anything he'd ever felt.
"Another pet?" he muttered. "No… this one feels… alive."
Back in her dorm, Lian Shen was tending to her own egg.
A crack appeared.
The shell split open gently to reveal a creature with ethereal wings and shimmering white-gold scales. It purred softly, then made direct eye contact with her.
She gasped.
And then a name came to her, unbidden.
"You're… Aetheris."
The system chimed in:
[Pet Beast Registered: Aetheris — Celestial-Class Hatchling]
Bonded User: Lian Shen
Growth Rate: ???
She didn't know why… but it felt like the start of something far greater.