Chapter 182: I Won’t Fail

[Five Minutes Later.]

​Asher stood quietly beside the wide bed, his gaze fixed on Kelly as she lay sound asleep. On either side of her sat Sara and Juliana, watching her peaceful breathing with mixed emotions.

​"What... What do you guys think caused this sudden outburst?" Juliana asked in a hushed, low voice, breaking the heavy silence.

​Both Asher and Sara remained silent, staring down at Kelly. None of them fully understood the divine, intricate mechanics of how the world selected ordinary humans for Awakening, but they knew one fundamental rule: before an ordinary person unlocked their core, they almost always had to pass through an intense emotional threshold.

​It required extreme trauma—overwhelming fear, agonizing physical pain, or blinding rage.

​Yet, Kelly had experienced none of those things within the safe, heavily guarded walls of the estate. There was simply no logical reason for her to feel such intense, chaotic emotions.

​"Wait... Could it have something to do with those recurring dreams she’s been having?" Asher asked, a slight frown creasing his brow.

​He could have easily queried his system for immediate answers, but the interface was currently displaying an unyielding lock screen:

​{Anything related to First Wife Kelly is temporarily sealed.}

{47 Hours, 54 Minutes, 10 Seconds remaining.}

​’I can only wait for the full forty-eight hours to get any detailed data.’ Asher thought inwardly, suppressing his frustration:

’This lockout also freezes my Investment return updates, Kelly’s updated stat profile, and any other system options regarding her.’

​"That must be one of the main triggers, if not the absolute cause behind this!" Juliana snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up slightly:

​"What if I dive into her subconscious right now and read her memories?" She asked, looking up at Asher.

​Asher and Sara exchanged a brief look, then turned their eyes back to Kelly before simultaneously shaking their heads.

​"I wouldn’t recommend it." Asher said gravely. "Even if the primary crisis has passed, those Primordial Chains are linked directly to her soul. The moment her innate defense senses an intruding mental probe, they will lash out to protect her."

​"I find that hard to believe... Kelly might be fast asleep and detached from the physical world right now, but her spirit would never willingly attack us." Juliana insisted, her expression turning resolute.

​Asher remained silent for a moment. Now that the initial Awakening phase had stabilized, the active chain count should have naturally dropped back to a single dormant strand... But risks were risks.

​"Are you certain you can bypass a Primordial defense safely? Her mental health isn’t fully stable yet."

​Juliana opened her mouth to argue her case, but then caught Sara’s quiet, cautious glance beside her. She let out a helpless, defeatist sigh:

​"Fine... we will wait until she wakes up naturally."

​Asher observed the brief exchange, noting how readily Juliana deferred to Sara’s quiet judgment—she clearly listened to Sara far more than his own on matters of spiritual safety. He wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest; in fact, he was glad Sara possessed the authority to keep Juliana’s impulsive nature in check.

​Even if Kelly’s sudden awakening was linked to those bizarre nightmares, an external factor had to have catalyzed the process. It was vastly safer to hold off until the potion finished purifying her system; once she woke up, they could simply ask her directly about what she saw in her dreams.

​"Oh! I almost forgot to mention—There is a massive monster tide heading straight toward the city. They are projected to reach the outer perimeter in seven days at most." Asher reported casually.

​Both Sara and Juliana whipped their heads toward him in shock and surprise:

​"A full-scale dungeon breakout?" Juliana asked, her eyes widening.

​"I don’t have absolute confirmation yet, but the horde is pouring directly out of the unmonitored southern forest, numbering in the hundreds of high rank beasts—possibly even thousands." He answered.

​Juliana paused for a second as Sara’s silent telepathic message reached her, then relayed it aloud: "Sara wants to know if the civilian population has been alerted or panicked."

​Asher turned his eyes toward Sara, mild curiosity flickering in his gaze. Was she still deeply concerned about the general populace of Silverspire despite her own fallen status?

​He didn’t pry into her reasons, offering a direct answer instead:

​"I am not entirely sure about the rest of the capital, but based on Marianne’s rapid response, the top guilds plan to intercept and neutralize the tide far outside the walls without alarming the citizens..." Asher rested his chin between his thumb and forefinger in thought:

​"However, the inhabitants of the Third District will almost certainly catch wind of it soon. To the elite Awakened, that sector is essentially a lawless, impoverished border zone—they won’t bother dedicating resources to protect those people, and it sits closest to the southern outer wall... Regardless, we will see the reality of the situation soon." He said, crossing his arms over his chest:

​"Don’t worry too much. Nothing catastrophic will happen to Silverspire."

​Sara offered a slow, graceful nod at his reassuring words, her soft gaze returning to Kelly’s sleeping form.

​’I have already cleared a high-tier SSS-RANK Dungeon, which means I have officially fulfilled the entry requirement for the Mental Destruction Dungeon to retrieve Juliana’s complete cure...’ Asher pondered, his eyes sweeping over his three wives:

’However, I don’t believe I possess enough raw power to clear it safely just yet.’

​He needed to become significantly stronger, and quickly—that was the absolute only way he could guarantee the total safety of his household. For several days now, there had been complete, unnatural silence from his enemies—most notably, Luna.

​That quietude didn’t sit right with him at all.

​’They are almost certainly moving in the shadows while I remain in the dark about their location... Damn it!’

___

​[Third District — Silverspire City.]

[An Abandoned, Concealed Structure.]

​In a pitch-black, cavernous chamber lit only by the faint glow of eerie magical arrays, an old man stood bent over a floating crystal orb. Deep, angry furrows carved into his heavily wrinkled face as he stared at the shifting images within the glass:

​"This... This shouldn’t be happening!! How on earth did my curse attack invert itself into a spiritual blessing?!" The old man spat, his gnarled hands trembling with rage:

"I only intended to forcibly draw out her dormant, volatile powers so they would corrupt her mind, manipulate her spirit, and consume her from the inside out!! I not only failed to destroy her, but I inadvertently triggered her origin core into a full Awakening?!"

​He gritted his yellowed teeth, glaring up into the surrounding darkness with bloodshot eyes:

​"No... It doesn’t matter! Even if she awakened, she is still a frail, inexperienced bug—not a threat to our overarching grand design!!" He added hastily, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

​"Soon, we will exact our absolute revenge upon them all."

​From the dense shadows near the back of the room, a tall figure stepped into the dim light. Aaron walked forward with heavy, deliberate strides, his gaze frigid and devoid of warmth:

​"I should tear your soul apart this very second for such a pathetic failure." Aaron said, his voice dripping with lethal intent. "However... you deserve a second chance to prove your worth, just as I was granted one... But if you fail me again, I will personally ensure you spend eternity begging for the sweet mercy of death."

​"I... I will not fail you a second time, Lord Aaron!" The old man stuttered in terror, immediately dropping to his knees and bowing his head low to the cold floor.