Soul system:Return Of The SSS-Ranked Troublemaker-Chapter 31: Jeju Island 6 (8) Aftermath

The heroes carefully transported the Guardian to the underground facility beneath the base. Since the area was covered in thick foliage and had ample space below, it was the perfect place to keep the entity contained.

Standing atop a nearby hill, Mighty Knight reached out and pressed a hidden switch.

With a low mechanical hum, the earth itself responded.

CRACK—!

The ground beneath them rumbled and split apart, revealing the base’s underground entrance.

As the Guardian was lowered inside, the Blue Gemstone within the facility began to react.

Its glow flickered erratically, growing brighter with each passing second.

Then—in a sudden flash—

The Blue Gemstone shot forward, embedding itself into the Guardian’s chest.

A deep humming vibration filled the air as the energy pulsed through its body.

The Guardian slowly sat down, its form adjusting as if accepting its new state.

The ground closed back up.

Silence.

"Everyone good?" Mighty Knight called out.

"YES, SIR!" The heroes responded in unison.

Meanwhile, in Jeju City

The Monarch of Primal stretched his arms casually, as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, I’m heading out."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

The Monarch shrugged. "I only came to visit a friend."

Jin’s expression darkened slightly. "A friend, huh?" His voice carried an underlying curiosity... and suspicion.

The Monarch didn’t even turn back. "You don’t need to know."

Then, his tone shifted—colder, quieter.

"She was afraid that no one would mourn her death."

Jin said nothing. He simply watched as the Monarch walked away, his presence lingering like an unfinished story.

"What a strange guy." Jin thought.

As the Monarch strode through the ruined city, his eyes scanned the surroundings.

Then—his gaze landed on something unnatural.

A creature.

It wasn’t like the other monsters roaming the battlefield.

It was different.

Its body twisted unnaturally, its form resembling something... familiar.

The Monarch narrowed his eyes. "Hey. There are still monsters running around."

Nearby, Celestia barely spared him a glance. "That’s not a monster. It’s my creation."

Her tone was cold, indifferent.

The Monarch stopped walking.

His eyes widened.

Slowly, his gaze trailed up—staring at the creature’s head.

A dragon-shaped rock.

His heart stopped for a second.

Then—realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"Shit. Did he just realize I took that from the mountain?" Celestia thought, her body suddenly tensing.

For the first time, she felt nervous.

Then—

The Monarch smiled.

Not a forced grin.

Not a mocking smirk.

But a genuine smile.

"I see. Thank you for removing that." His voice was softer, almost... grateful.

Celestia blinked. "You’re... not mad?"

The Monarch chuckled. "Why would I be?"

He turned back toward the ruins of the city, exhaling.

"I’m sure she would be happy knowing that thing was no longer on her grave especially an item that is made by a slave with hatred."

Celestia froze.

Her eyes widened. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"...Grave?"

Then—memories flooded back.

The cross she had seen earlier.

The mountainside where the dragon-shaped rock once rested.

That wasn’t an artifact.

It was a gravestone.

Back on the mountain, before everything unfolded, Celestia had noticed the dragon-shaped rock beside a small, unmarked cross.

But at the time—she didn’t think much of it.

She had simply picked it up, believing it would be useful for her creations.

Now, as she stood there, hearing the Monarch’s words—the truth hit her.

"So that was a grave..." Celestia thought, her stomach tightening.

The Monarch exhaled, shaking his head.

"It seems you didn’t realize it was a grave." His voice wasn’t angry—just matter-of-fact.

Then, he turned away. "I need to clean it up. After that, I’m gone. Goodbye."

He started walking—but after a few steps, he stopped.

Without turning around, he suddenly called out—

"JIN!"

Jin, who had been watching from the side, immediately stepped forward. "What?"

The Monarch pointed at Elay, who stood nearby, barely able to keep himself covered after his earlier transformation.

"Can I borrow that student?"

Jin frowned. "Borrow? Why?"

The Monarch smirked.

"He has the same ability as me—he can turn into a beast."

Jin narrowed his eyes. "I don’t know... I’ll have to ask the kid later."

The Monarch simply nodded. "Then goodbye."

With that, he continued walking back toward the mountain.

Outside the base, the injured students had all gathered in the courtyard, where a grand feast had been prepared.

Those who had been knocked out cold were laid downstairs in an advanced medical room, where healers and medical tech tended to their wounds.

At the feast, Zion sat at a long table, enjoying the wide spread of meats, vegetables, and fruits in front of him.

As he ate, he spotted Karina and her younger sister, Sera, approaching.

He waved, calling out—

"Here! I saved you guys a seat!"

The sisters quickly walked over, sitting down beside him and starting to eat.

After a moment, Sera glanced around.

"Where’s Yin?" she asked.

Zion didn’t even pause his eating. "Knocked out cold."

Sera blinked. "Huh?! Why?!"

Zion swallowed his food before answering. "The Monarch arrived, and Yin joined in on the attack. He was the first one to get knocked out, I think."

Sera’s face twisted in disbelief. "Why would he do that?!"

Zion let out a small sigh. "You’ll see when you hear the whole story."

As they continued eating, Zion slowly recounted everything that had happened, from the battle with the Monarch to the Guardian’s appearance.

Sera listened intently, her expression shifting from shock to awe.

But in the end, they simply continued their meal, enjoying the long-awaited moment of peace.

Meanwhile, Elay walked toward the food tables, grabbing another plate of meat when he spotted Leon standing nearby.

A sly grin crossed his face.

"Oh? Isn’t that you—the guy who got knocked out?" Elay said sarcastically.

Leon’s eye twitched.

"Shut the hell up. I didn’t get knocked out."

Elay raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh? Looked like you did."

Leon scoffed. "Tch. I was just resting."

He grabbed a plate of food, continuing—"Then the Guardian appeared, and I didn’t bother getting up. No point, especially since the Pro Heroes were already handling it."

Elay chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

As Leon and Elay walked, a thought suddenly hit Leon.

"Tsk... Now that I think about it, we don’t even know each other’s names."

He clicked his tongue, annoyed at the realization.

But then—something caught his eye.

A bulge on the back of Elay’s shirt.

Squinting, he focused on it—and then he saw it.

Fruits.

Stuffed under Elay’s shirt like he was smuggling snacks for later.

A wicked grin crept onto Leon’s face.

"Hah... A FATASS."

He barely held back his laughter, biting his lip to keep from bursting out.

Meanwhile, Elay had already made his way back to the feast table, standing in front of the mountain of food and scanning his choices.

His mind, however, was elsewhere.

"Can he eat vegetables now? He’s two years old... Should I start giving him greens?"

His eyes darted across the table.

Meat. Bread. Grilled fish.

"Whatever. I’ll just get everything."

He grabbed a mix of different foods, piling his plate with whatever seemed right.