Chapter 14 The Acknowledged Variable
836 Words
Seven days after the Night Domain battle.
For the first time, Raven City’s Central Tower issued a public special announcement.
A massive projection covered the entire main district.
[Night Domain A-Class Entity Confirmed Eliminated]
[Participant List Announced]
Names appeared one by one.
Kane.
Lucas.
Ava.
Karl.
…
And then—
Leon Black
Beneath his name was a special designation:
[Variable Code: Catalyst]
For the first time—
The city publicly acknowledged his codename.
The forums exploded.
“He really withstood an A-Class?!”
“Is that 50% growth rate real?”
“Is talent evolution theory actually true?”
The Council did not deny it.
This time—
They chose to remain silent.
Which meant—
Acknowledgment.
—
Inside the academy.
The combat rankings refreshed again.
Leon leapt directly to—
Rank 9.
Projected Lower A-Class.
Annotation:
[Growth Potential: Upper Limit Unknown]
Lucas grinned at the screen.
“From 18 to 9.”
“At this rate, you’re going to scare people to death.”
Leon didn’t respond.
The system interface appeared.
[Failure Catalyst: 50%]
He could feel it.
After 50%—
Each failure’s increase had slowed.
Not ineffective.
But—
A bottleneck.
That meant—
The second qualitative change
Would require even greater pressure.
—
Administrative conference room.
The gray-haired man sat at the long table.
Across from him were three Council members.
One spoke coldly,
“You allowed him to break through on an A-Class battlefield.”
“Too risky.”
The gray-haired man replied calmly,
“He did not lose control.”
“He evolved.”
“And we need evolution.”
Silence settled.
Another member said quietly,
“If he becomes like Arthur—”
“Arthur did not lose control.”
For the first time, the gray-haired man interrupted.
“We misjudged.”
That sentence
Froze the air in the room.
For the first time—
A division formed within the Council.
—
Academy training grounds.
Damian stood at the center of the field.
The black energy traces had faded.
But his mental fluctuations were still unstable.
Lucas approached him.
“Still thinking about using that thing again?”
Damian remained silent.
“I thought being strong was enough.”
“But strength in the wrong direction only makes you useful to others.”
Lucas raised a brow.
“So now?”
Damian looked up.
For the first time, there was no hostility in his eyes.
“I don’t stand with the Council.”
“Or the underground market.”
“I stand with whoever survives.”
He looked toward Leon in the distance.
“For now.”
This was his choice.
Not surrender.
A shift.
—
Night.
Academy rooftop.
The wind was colder than before.
Ava stood beside Leon.
City lights stretched endlessly below.
“The Council is starting to split internally,” she said softly.
“Some want you as a specimen.”
“Some want you as a weapon.”
“What about you?”
She looked at him.
Leon was silent for a few seconds.
“I just want to become—”
“Myself.”
The words were light.
But they tightened something in Ava’s chest.
“What happens after fifty percent?”
she asked.
Leon closed his eyes.
“I don’t know.”
“But I can feel it—”
“If I go further, something will change.”
The wind suddenly stopped.
From the direction of the Night Domain—
A deeper fluctuation than A-Class flickered briefly.
Almost imperceptible.
But Leon opened his eyes.
He felt it.
The system interface shimmered faintly.
[Unknown High-Tier Fluctuation Detected]
[Recommendation: Increase Structural Strength]
He spoke quietly,
“They’re not limited to A-Class.”
Ava’s pupils contracted.
“What do you mean?”
“In the deeper Night Domain…”
“There are higher-tier entities.”
Silence filled the rooftop.
In that moment—
The city’s victory felt fragile.
—
At the top of the Central Tower,
the gray-haired man stood facing the Night Domain.
“It’s finally responding,” he murmured.
An assistant asked softly,
“Should we issue full-city alert?”
He shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“Let Catalyst continue growing.”
“We need him.”
—
On the rooftop,
Lucas pushed the door open.
“Brother.”
“The city forums gave you a nickname.”
“What is it?”
“Red Rebound.”
Leon chuckled softly.
“Not bad.”
Ava looked at him.
“Don’t really turn yourself into fire.”
“Fire burns out.”
Leon turned toward her.
“Fire also illuminates.”
Under the night sky,
the three stood in the wind.
Damian watched from a distance.
He didn’t approach.
But he didn’t leave either.
The factions had formed.
Not through oaths.
But through silent alignment.
The system interface floated quietly.
[Failure Catalyst: 50%]
The number was no longer just a value.
It was—
A threshold into the unknown.
Deep within the Night Domain,
the darkness seemed to breathe.
A higher-dimensional presence
Waswatching.
- Writer
