’A higher level of life! But how?’ Seth’s mind reeled as he came to the bone-shuddering conclusion.

There was no way a creature of the Shackled Rank could give him this much pressure.

And this feeling — he knew he’d sensed it before. It was something Adam faintly gave off, but Adam’s was more controlled and soothing.

It was the feeling of meeting a creature at a higher evolution of life. Whoever these ancestors were, they were definitely above the Shackled Rank.

Beads of sweat pooled across his forehead, but he had no choice but to begin walking forward.

Under myriad gazes, Seth slowly came before the council, right at their center.

He remained silent and calm, but inwardly he was anything but.

The five hooded figures let silence reign as they took their time observing this descendant of theirs.

One of them nodded, his frail voice slowly ringing out: "What a promising child. He seems to have awakened his Will even though he is still a mortal."

The others nodded, and Seth shivered in shock.

He had enclosed his Will, hiding all trace of it — but only one glance was all it took for them to see through him. Just one!

Helen’s words resounded in his head once more:

"This is my advice, younger brother. No matter what they ask of you, please just comply. No matter how strong you believe yourself to be, you are not their match! Not currently."

She was right. But would he truly have to relinquish his treasures?

His fists balled tight, veins popping across his arms, his heart hammering hard against his ribs.

"You are part of those responsible for clearing the corruption zone and helping humanity earn its first racial lamp, right?" Finally, one of them addressed Seth, their voice holding more vitality than the rest who had spoken so far.

Seth was compelled to reply. This wasn’t about fear — it was as though his body spoke before his mind registered.

This was what it meant to evolve to a higher form of life. Lesser beings found it hard to resist, even Seth, who had awakened his Will.

"Yes, I am."

If not for the overbearing presence of the five ancestors, the room would have burst into wild chatter of disbelief.

Most still didn’t believe it when they heard Seth had been among those who cleared the corruption zone.

After all, how could an impure-blooded bastard accomplish what even they dared not claim they could do?

But even they didn’t believe Seth could lie in the presence of the elders.

These unfathomable ancestors could sense lies from truth, and if Seth dared lie, his fate would be sealed.

It seemed Seth was speaking the truth, as the five elders nodded, impressed. "Indeed, the young surpasses the old. Tell me, boy, how did you lads manage to slay a Charmed Beast and its terrifying army of Defiled and boss monsters?"

At this question, everyone’s ears in the room perked up. They needed to know how.

If they could replicate this feat, they would be miles ahead of other families and the government itself when it came to territory.

Silence reigned as heated gazes bore down on Seth’s silhouette, the room waiting in bated breath for his reply.

Seth’s lips moved. "The Defiled weren’t as strong as they were meant to be, and the Charmed Beast itself had yet to hatch. None of the creatures were at their full strength, giving us a chance at winning."

Seth spoke ambiguously, framing his achievement in a lesser light so as not to make it too impressive.

"But even then, I reckon it still wouldn’t have been easy..." one of the five mused with a raspy voice.

Seth remained silent, taking the statement as rhetorical.

One of the elders leaned forward, his aura bearing heavier on Seth. "Tell me, boy, did you awaken the Duskreaver lineage?"

This question brought relief to Seth’s heart. After all, if it had been framed differently and he compulsively blurted out that he had awakened two lineages at once, he didn’t know how they would react.

"Yes, I awakened the lineage of the Asura King," he voiced calmly.

One of the elders chuckled. "We can practically smell it off you. But the reason we ask is because it seems tainted..."

The hair on Seth’s back stood on end as he could practically feel the figure squinting at him.

Fortunately, another by the side brushed it off. "That’s understandable. From what was relayed, it was stated that he wasn’t a pure blood."

Another nodded and spoke. "But regardless, awakening our lineage makes you one of us. From today on, we will claim you as one of us, removing your status as a bastard."

’Huh?’ Seth was stunned.

He wasn’t the only one — everyone in the room was equally shocked.

In the third line of seats just behind where the Big Twelve sat, a middle-aged man with silver hair and grey eyes — his face alone gave away his identity as Seth’s father, Simon Duskreaver.

His eyes glistened with surprise. He had hoped for the worst, but it seemed things were taking a better direction.

Unfortunately, he concluded too soon.

Another elder spoke in tow. "Now that that’s done, we called you here to confirm something, and it looks like we were right.

The pocket of space around you — the one you call inventory — we can sense items of the Awakened Rank within them.

Hand it over." The elder spoke calmly and eloquently, his face obscured by the darkness of his cloak, his tone as though he were speaking common sense.

It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

Seth remained silent as an overbearing wave of oppressive aura bore down on him. He was even finding it hard to breathe.

They didn’t even give him a chance to speak. After all, in their eyes, what was there to speak about? He just had to obey.

’It has come!’ Seth hissed in pain.

Everything they said was merely a prelude to this.

This was their main objective al

l along, and they didn’t even care to hide it.

After all, what could Seth do but comply obediently?