Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate Chapter 26 CHAPTER 26: THE SPROUT OF ENVY

Present ti

"It's been two months since the disappearance of Dr. Ezekiel and his entire family. The police departnt has been unable to find any clues concerning the missing case. More information will be made available when found..."

The voice of the newscaster stopped as the TV was turned off by Mr. Albert, Kyle's father.

"Any news concerning Dr. Ezekiel and his family?" Mr. Albert inquired.

"No, sir. The commissioner of the police force has agreed to double the effort in the search, though," the butler answered humbly.

"Hmph, bad news upon bad news. First, those fools agreed to eliminate those kids, foiling my plan, and now I have to wait calmly and vigilantly to know if I have an enemy or not. I hope this is not the doing of those damn cult mbers, or else I will have to crush them and destroy them completely," Mr. Albert said, slightly angered but restraining himself to maintain his dignity and image.

Kyle walked into the living room, finding his father sitting comfortably with the butler standing humbly behind him.

"Father, you requested to see ?" Kyle asked respectfully.

"Requested? It seems you've been thinking too highly of yourself lately. I didn't request—I demanded, you damn fool," Mr. Albert said sternly.

"Apologies for my rudeness, Father."

"Hmph, you better be, brat. Now, how is your handling of the ga Apocalypse? I believe you've made substantial progress in our plans to dominate the player base? And what's his na—Nesis? I assu you've already dealt with that eyesore?" Mr. Albert asked, looking at his son no differently than he would an employee expected to provide a performance report.

Kyle, like a dutiful employee rather than a son, began giving his report.

"I have made substantial progress in the ga, sir. I created a guild with plans to claim first place in the guild event. I've also spread my reach, utilizing our resources to gain trusted n who have infiltrated every guild that could compete with . I plan to destroy them from within or externally while gathering intel. As for those that need to be eliminated, I have added them to the list."

"Hmm, very good. And Nesis?" Mr. Albert asked, clearly pleased with his son's decision-making.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been able to find any information on him, even after using our best investigative team. I haven't encountered him in the ga, nor have I been able to uncover details about his guild. Any spies I placed within have been uprooted before I could gather substantial intelligence, and he wears a mas—"

"Enough!" Mr. Albert snapped. "All I hear are excuses for failure. You have disappointed greatly."

"I'm sorry, Father. I'm ashad," Kyle said, bowing his head as sadness filled his expression.

"Hmph. See that you are ashad and ensure this never happens again. Butler!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Take Kyle to the discipline room and ensure he is properly disciplined."

"I will see to it, sir," the butler said, bowing his head before turning to Kyle. "Young master, please follow closely."

Kyle nodded to the butler, his hands clenching tightly before releasing. "Thank you, Father, for this opportunity to correct my wrongdoings," he said, bowing his head as deeply as possible toward his father.

"Hmm. It is my responsibility as a dutiful father. Now go and face your punishnt," Mr. Albert said before dismissing them with a wave of his hand.

Kyle and the butler left the room without another word.

---

"Hisssh," Kyle sucked in a deep breath, the massaging of his joints and care for his bruised body proving extrely painful. His father had decided that he would face level 6 punishnt—one reserved for employees who made grave mistakes. "Damn old man, I even thanked him, and he still commanded that I receive a punishnt ant for his workers," Kyle muttered bitterly. "Ah, I wish I could get out of this place soon and enjoy dominating in Apocalypse. Tch, this would've been a better ti to play with my favorite toy, Greg. He just had to be selfish and die off on his own," he grumbled, still seething.

Despite utilizing the Albert family's best investigative team, Kyle had been unable to uncover the cause of Greg and Annabelle's deaths. The lack of answers only fueled his frustration.

As he sat lost in thought, a knock on the door snapped him out of it. He rushed to open it, finding his mother standing outside.

"My son, I heard from your father that you failed a task," Mrs. Albert said, concern evident in her voice.

"Yes, Ma, but I have been reflecting on it after the discipline. I promise it won't happen again," Kyle responded respectfully.

"Good. I felt embarrassed knowing you failed a task—I couldn't even look at your father. It should never happen again, my boy. I taught you to always be perfect," Mrs. Albert said before stepping closer, caressing Kyle's head. He didn't dare stop her. Otherwise, he might find himself in the discipline room again—possibly facing level 8 punishnt. His mother was even more ruthless than his father.

"Thanks for the care, Mum," Kyle said obediently.

"That's my sweet child," Mrs. Albert said with a cherry smile before leaving the room.

"Hah," Kyle sighed, collapsing onto his bed. Today had been exhausting. Applying lotion and ointnt to his wounds no longer interested him.

'Greg, you damn mongrel… how could you have such a beautiful and perfect family while I was born into this hell? It's so unfair that I'm getting pissed!' Kyle thought bitterly.

From a young age, Kyle had been severely beaten by both his mother and father in the na of discipline. His arms and legs were often covered in bruises and wounds, forcing him to always wear long sleeves. Eventually, his classmates discovered his "discipline" at ho, turning him into a target for bullying. That was until Greg stepped in, putting an end to his harassnt. Their friendship blossod from there.

But everything changed.

Their once genuine bond, built on Kyle's admiration for Greg's courage, shattered the day Greg invited him over to his house.

For the first ti, Kyle realized what a true family looked like.

The warmth in Greg's ho, the way his parents laughed off his mistakes and corrected him with love—it was nothing like the cold, brutal upbringing Kyle had known.

'No wonder he's always so joyful and energetic at school… his parents are kind, loving, and caring. But why does Greg get to have such a perfect family while I'm stuck with monsters?'

That day, envy took root in Kyle's heart.

---

Sowhere Else…

"Wow, the first event of Apocalypse. This is definitely going to be fun," Will George said, addressing the fellow guild masters. It was a rare occasion—one of the few tis the leaders of the Big Six guilds had gathered together.

"Honestly, I'm all fired up for it. I hope it's a blast," Aaron added, grinning.

"Hmm, it seems the system of Apocalypse is finally waking up from its slumber. It's quite a bit earlier than I predicted," Nesis remarked.

"???"

"??!"

"???!"

"???!"

"???!"

"Hey! You can't just keep quiet for a while and then boom—you drop a bombshell like it's nothing. I guess the president wasn't wrong; you really are a terrorist. Except it's us you torture and hold for ransom," Will George complained.

"Well, that's what makes his character interesting, doesn't it? Not caring about how others feel. Only Dual Blade has a similar attitude," Kate comnted.

"Surely you jest, Shadow. Who was it that killed all those newbies even after everyone begged you not to? The only person here who listens to others is . I'm a very understanding man with excellent listening skills," Aaron declared proudly.

"Says the man who turned a deaf ear and stole the loot from the Spider Boss. I never knew it could be so difficult to force soone to release stolen loot," Will George retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… what about you?!" Odin tried to turn the conversation back at him.

"Relax, boy. Unlike you, I won't hide the truth. Yes, I do whatever I like. That begs the question… did he pick us because of that, or was it just a clean coincidence?" Will George asked, glancing at Nesis.

Nesis rely shrugged, showing no interest in responding.

Truthfully, the reason? He didn't overthink it. He chose them because they were competent. Whether their gathering had so butterfly effect didn't matter to him. He had never cared about such things.

"So? What do you an about the system gibberish?" Aaron asked, intrigued.

"You don't need to know much. Just understand that events like this will beco regular. Perhaps even frequent if the system decides to be excessive," Nesis explained. "A little more information—the system is like a seed the Supre Will planted. The actions of the natives and us players determine how it grows. The creation of multiple guilds is a perfect example."

With that, he shut his eyes, making it clear that he wasn't open for more questions.

"You all prepare. We have a few more days left. Tomorrow, we'll learn the nature of the event," he added before falling asleep.

"So much for a leader… falling asleep just like that," Will George muttered. "Well, I'll be staying here today and throughout the event. So much to do and prepare as a guild master. After all, not all of us are privileged enough to have a capable vice guild master like so douchebag."

Will George was clearly still salty.