Chapter 65: Last time I checked, the Emperor was at Tier 21!

Kaelen froze for a second before narrowing his eyes. "When does he want to meet?"

"The Emperor is a very busy man, so it’ll likely be during the expedition. He didn’t exactly say."

"I see. I’ll be looking forward to it then."

He didn’t know how much time he had before the expedition, but the invitation letter would reveal it to him.

President Hunter studied his reaction for a moment before nodding once. "I’ll be taking my leave now." He turned around and began walking away when Kaelen suddenly stopped him.

"Can I ask you a question, President Hunter?"

The President paused and turned around. "Go ahead."

"Do you, perhaps, happen to know the Emperor’s evolution Tier in-game?" Kaelen asked as he locked eyes with the President.

Kaelen was curious. He had never heard about the Emperor playing Evolution Online, neither had he heard of the other top officials who were rumored to be present for the expedition. But for some reason, they had all appeared for this one expedition.

It couldn’t possibly be that they were new players about to go on the biggest, and likely the most dangerous, expedition Evolution Online had ever witnessed simply because they were figureheads of power across the Strongholds.

There had to be a catch.

President Hunter was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. "Last time I checked, the Emperor was at Tier 21. It’s very much possible that he might’ve surpassed that now."

Kaelen’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief, but before he could ask, President Hunter explained.

"I figured that’d be your reaction. You’re probably wondering how he got to that level without it ever making the news that the Emperor was playing Evolution Online." President Hunter smiled.

"Not many people know this, but long before Evolution Online was even released for public beta testing, the first set of beta testers had been a few selected members of humanity’s strongest awakeners, like the Emperor... and your father."

Kaelen’s chest tightened.

"You’re also probably thinking how that is possible when you’re the first to transcend mortality, but that is only true if you start counting from the game’s official release date, and a few have transcended mortality long before you. Why you do not hear them making headlines is that they no longer play in the base world and have long moved on to other game worlds that offer more difficult challenges but greater rewards.

"They are only back here because of the ruins of Antarctica. The reason being, the expedition team ten years ago got wiped out, leaving only one man from the team who, against all odds, saw the ruins to the end, where he earned the title of the first Dragon Slayer."

The information hit Kaelen like a speeding truck, and his eyes widened further. "Are you saying..."

"Yes." President Hunter replied before Kaelen could even finish his sentence.

"...That man was your father."

At that moment, Kaelen began connecting the dots. But every time he reached a conclusion, he was met with a new question.

The appearance of the Primordial weapons in the possession of the House of Cross made so much sense now, but that didn’t explain how they were transferred from the game into the real world.

Did that expedition have anything to do with the death of his parents?

"President Hunter... how much do you know about Evolution Online? How much do you know about my parents? Was my mother somehow involved in all of this?"

The President exhaled softly. "Evolution Online is as mysterious to you as it is to me. But the one thing I can tell you is that the earlier you start taking the game seriously, the better it’ll be for you."

Figured that much out on my own.

"As for your parents... I don’t know much, but I can confidently tell you that your father had so much potential that it made the Nine Strongholds feel safe."

Kaelen was silent for a moment. "What about my mother?"

President Hunter turned around. "Your mother... she was one of the most feared names across the Nine Strongholds."

"Why’s that?" Kaelen asked in confusion.

President Hunter smiled warmly. "She was a bounty hunter before she met your father on the day she was supposed to assassinate him. What followed was one hell of a crazy love story." He chuckled softly. "He changed her. But I guess she’d already made too many enemies to live a normal life and have a family."

Kaelen looked up at President Hunter in surprise. "You also don’t believe the story about a beast horde taking out the entire Stronghold 2 ten years ago?"

"No one believes that. Whatever beast could take out your two parents in one night can as well take out the Nine Strongholds."

"Then why wasn’t it investigated?"

"I’m sorry you had to hear this from me, but the people felt safer not knowing what happened to Stronghold 2."

"W-What?"

"They believed it’d make them feel at ease and sleep better at night to not know what happened that night than to know there was an endgame beast or indestructible killer out there who could show up in their Strongholds at any moment in time and wipe them off the face of the earth as well. They wanted nothing to do with whatever happened in Stronghold 2, even when a few refugees survived the wasteland and showed up at other Strongholds’ gates. They were ignored out of fear that whatever terrorized Stronghold 2 might track them down to their own homes. They were silently mourned for."

Kaelen didn’t make a single sound as he kept his head low, his expression hidden, taking account of everything President Hunter said.

The man sighed wearily. "I shouldn’t have said any of this to you here, but I just thought you needed to know what it was like ten years ago. But if there’s anyone who would know better than anyone about your father, it should be your father’s best friend, the Emperor."

"..."

"Get home safe." President Hunter said after Kaelen didn’t say a word. He sighed one more time and took a step forward to leave when Kaelen suddenly spoke once more. But something in the boy’s voice sent chills down his spine.

"I have one last question, President Hunter." Kaelen asked, his voice extremely calm and steady.

"Do you think my father made it to Tier 9 before he died ten years ago?"

President Hunter paused to think for a moment. "It’s been so long, and I can’t remember. But if I do, I’ll let you know." He said and turned around to look at Kaelen, only to see an empty spot where the boy once stood.