"My na is Daniella Zhāng of the Zhāng Clan. I’m already at the Master stage of Qi and Order Mastery, and I have an A‑ranked order, which makes one of the top ten prodigies of my generation for reaching this rank at just twenty‑two."
’Huh?’ That single sound sumd up what I felt in that mont.
For so odd reason, she sounded like she ca straight out of a cultivation world. As far as I rembered, the power system of this world didn’t work like that.
This world used mana. Once you awakened and received a rank, you advanced by defeating strangers of the sa rank. And now she was talking about Qi and Order Mastery?
’Is it even possible to change the way things work?’
Raising my head to et Daniella’s gaze, I imdiately noticed the faint gleam in her eyes, like she was waiting for to state my own accomplishnts.
Even if I told her the truth, she wouldn’t survive hearing it, much less understand it. However, if I phrased it this way...
"I’m Adrian. I’m not affiliated with any clan, but I trained alone as best as I could. I’m eighteen, and although I’m not well‑versed in rank checking, I know I’m not far behind you, Lady Daniella. And I have an SS‑ranked order, if I rember correctly."
Daniella’s eyes widened at my words — wide enough that I could mistake her for a fish. Her breath hitched as she tried to speak, her soft hands suddenly gripping my palms tightly.
"Are you serious about what you said?" she asked hesitantly. "Your order is SS‑rank? You know there are only three SS‑ranks in the world, and one of them belongs to the princess. And you said you’re around my rank. It doesn’t make sense."
She didn’t even give ti to reply before pulling into the neat living room. ’Slls like jasmine.’ Maybe lavender too.
Daniella pushed down onto the long white couch and sat beside . "How sure are you about all this?"
I extended my hand toward her. "If you want, you can check my pulse."
Daniella hesitated for a mont, then nodded. Her hand, already holding mine, drew it closer to her. She placed her index and middle finger on my wrist.
I kept my eyes on her as she closed hers, clearly trying to disprove my claims. As ti passed, her face grew paler and beads of sweat ford on her forehead.
Hiding my true strength was sothing I could do with my eyes closed. Even then, I wasn’t planning to make myself seem like so weakling.
First, I didn’t have the patience to take insults without blowing up one or two heads. And on top of that, my forr crewmates would search for suspiciously weak kids rather than talented ones,since they believed I would never make a mistake like that, assuming they even found out I’d escaped, which was extrely unlikely.
As Daniella continued checking my pulse, I let my gaze wander around the room.
It was a small white living area with three chairs — the long one I sat on and two others beside it. The dining table was behind , and a television set stood in front of , with the door at the far end to my left.
Honestly, it was a fairly ordinary ho — for rich folks at least.
Daniella’s grip on my arm tightened for a mont, pulling my attention back to her. I was about to comnt on it when sothing on the wall near the dining table caught my eye.
A figurine of Uriel. Not surprising in this world.
But what was surprising was the mark surrounding it.
An arcanic symbol that looked almost like a zodiac sign. Worse, it was a sign I knew very well.
It didn’t belong to Uriel or to any of those motherf—ing crew mbers. But to the only beings I didn’t even have the energy to play around with.
The Watchers.
I turned back to the girl, who was slowly opening her eyes. ’What connection does she have with those bastards?’
To the outers, the deities, the council — the Watchers are their eyes, legs, and hands in places they cannot reach.
In human terms, Watchers were the closest thing to angels, although "angel" was a rank mortals could reach if they beca strong enough.
The thing about Watchers was that they never revealed who they were. No one knew their sign unless they themselves were one.
It could have been a coincidence that she bought a sticker identical to theirs, so acting rashly wasn’t an option.
Daniella finally opened her eyes. As soon as our eyes t, she looked away.
I wanted to know what expression I was wearing now. At this mont, when I wanted to end her life. Was I... smiling?
The thought faded when she started talking. "I still can’t believe it. You’re actually at master stage. Do you have so old master back ho and you’re secretly a young master?"
I shook my head. "Actually, I grew up alone."
Daniella’s mouth fell open at my words. She stood from the couch, headed to the fridge beside the dining table, and grabbed a large bottle of water.
"I still can’t believe it even though I checked." She took a long gulp, then wiped her lips. "How can soone be so young and so strong without any help? And an SS‑rank order on top of it."
She glanced at . "Are you actually human?"
I shrugged. "What else would I be?"
"A dragon? A god? A phoenix? Or so ancient spirit beast."
I let out a laugh. "How could I be any of that and still beg for a place to bathe?"
She rested a hand on her chin. "That’s true. No one is foolish enough to have that much power, know they have it, and still live in poverty."
She sighed again. "I guess I have even more reason to make sure you get into the academy."
With deliberate steps, she walked toward her room, her hands swinging at her sides. When she returned, her face looked even brighter than before.
She held a laptop so thin I almost mistook it for a piece of paper, with a textbook placed on top. She had even changed clothes — now wearing a large polo and shorts.
Just as she was about to take a seat, her foot hit the center table in front of .
"Argh..." She let out a muffled sound as the textbook fell to the floor. Fighting the urge to grab her foot, she bent down to pick it up.
I simply stared at her, her shirt lifting slightly to reveal her stomach.
It was only for a split second, but I saw it.
The sa symbol from the wall was tattooed on her body.
In that mont, all doubt vanished, and my mind beca completely clear.
She was definitely one of them.
She was a Watcher.
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