Chapter 30: A B-Rank Awakener Recognized My Wife

"Emily Ashcroft?" he asked again.

Emily froze completely, and for a moment nobody spoke. Lily glanced between her and the collector, while Maki’s expression shifted as understanding settled in.

Reinhard watched quietly, saying nothing.

The collector studied Emily’s face a moment longer before a faint smile appeared. "I thought I recognized you."

"It’s been a long time," she finally managed.

"It has." His gaze remained on her for another moment. "You were much younger the last time I saw you."

A faint smile crossed Emily’s face. "So were you."

The remark caught him slightly off guard, and Lily nearly laughed beside her. "Fair enough," he said, smiling faintly before his expression sobered. "I wondered what happened to you."

Emily’s smile disappeared. She looked down at her hands, silence stretching for a moment before she finally answered. "So did I."

Reinhard noticed the shift in her expression but didn’t step in.

The collector finally handed the Eclipse Glass over to Reinhard, though his attention remained fixed on Emily. "I remember seeing you at one of your competitions years ago. I wasn’t even there to watch you. I came to see another participant." He gave a small laugh. "But you stood out anyway."

"You were difficult to forget."

Emily shifted slightly. "I was?"

"You were one of the most talented young Awakeners I’d seen in years."

Emily looked uncomfortable under the praise. The collector continued. "It wasn’t simply your strength. You understood your abilities. You knew exactly what you wanted to do with them."

Lily’s eyes widened, and Maki remained silent, watching closely.

"Most young Awakeners wanted to prove how powerful they were." His gaze settled on Emily. "You wanted to win."

A small, almost embarrassed smile crossed Emily’s face. "I suppose I did."

"You did."

A quiet laugh escaped Lily. "That sounds like Emily."

Emily shot her a look. "You’re not helping."

The collector’s gaze eventually drifted toward Emily’s wheelchair, not with pity, but simply acknowledging what he saw. "I heard your career ended suddenly."

Emily’s expression grew quieter. She didn’t answer right away. The collector noticed her fingers tightening slightly against the armrest. "Forgive me."

"It’s fine," she said softly.

He nodded. "Are you recovering?"

"I’m trying."

"Then I assume you intend to return."

Emily looked up, a slight hesitation in her eyes. "Yes."

The collector smiled. "Good."

Emily blinked. He looked at her as though the answer had been obvious. "I always thought it would be a waste if someone like you never fought again."

Something in Emily’s expression softened. "Thank you."

The collector nodded before looking toward Reinhard. "Take care of her."

Reinhard smiled. "I plan to."

The collector gave him a brief look, then nodded. For a moment, everything was quiet.

Then a loud crash came from somewhere outside.

Everyone turned. Another impact followed, this one shaking the windows. The collector’s expression changed immediately. "Stay here." He moved toward the entrance.

Reinhard looked toward Emily. "Looks like our quiet afternoon is over."

Lily frowned. "What was that?"

Before anyone could answer, another explosion shook the building, a scream coming from outside. The collector opened the door.

Chaos had already spread across the street. Several people were running away from the nearby auction district while a group of Awakeners fought in the middle of the road.

One man slammed his hand against the ground, mana erupting outward.

Another Awakener raised both arms, a translucent barrier forming around him just before a concentrated blast struck it, the impact sending a shockwave through the street.

Reinhard watched carefully. So this is what people at this level actually do with mana. The System had given him knowledge and experience, but he hadn’t spent enough time around other Awakeners to see these applications used in real combat.

One attacker rushed forward with a weapon covered in mana. Another coated his entire body in a thin layer of energy. A third raised his hand, a beam of concentrated mana tearing across the street.

The collector’s expression hardened. "They’re C-Rank or lower."

Reinhard glanced at him. "That strong?"

"For ordinary people, yes." The collector stepped outside. "Stay behind me."

Reinhard smiled. "I’ll be fine."

The collector didn’t have time to argue. One of the attackers suddenly turned toward the residence. "There’s another Awakener!" He pointed directly at the collector. "Get him!"

Three attackers broke away from the main fight. The collector stepped forward. Reinhard watched them approach, one activating a Mana Shield, another reinforcing his body, the third raising his weapon.

Interesting. They were all using mana differently. Reinhard had never actually learned these techniques. He didn’t need to.

...

The first attacker charged, his mana-coated fist slamming toward Reinhard’s face. Reinhard didn’t dodge. The punch connected.

Boom!

The attacker expected him to fall. Instead, Reinhard barely moved. The man stared. Reinhard looked at the fist pressed against his cheek, then back at him. "That’s it?"

The attacker immediately pulled back. Reinhard stepped forward, his fist driving into the man’s stomach, the impact sending him flying across the street. He crashed through a wooden barrier before rolling several meters.

Everyone nearby turned. The collector’s eyes narrowed. He could feel Reinhard’s mana.

C-Rank.

But that punch had been anything but ordinary. His mana is only C-Rank.

The second attacker crashed into the ground, his mana coating dispersing as he rolled across the street. Reinhard turned toward the remaining attackers. Three of them had already been dealt with, but another figure stepped forward from behind them.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t holding a normal weapon. A dark green glow gathered around his hand, several translucent spheres of liquid mana slowly forming around him.

The collector’s expression changed. "Poison."

The man smiled. "That’s right." He flicked his wrist, and one of the poison spheres shot toward Reinhard.

Reinhard didn’t dodge.

Boom!

The sphere burst against his chest, releasing a cloud of green mist. The attacker immediately raised his spear, the weapon covered in the same dark green mana. "Even if your body is strong, let’s see how long you can last." He rushed forward.

Reinhard stepped through the poison cloud. Nothing happened. The attacker froze for half a second.

Reinhard looked down at the green liquid dripping from his clothes.

Poison?

He waited. Nothing. No dizziness, no weakness, not even a slight change in his breathing.

Oh.

Reinhard smiled. So that’s what the Toxic Resistance upgrade does.

The attacker thrust his spear toward Reinhard’s chest. Reinhard caught the shaft with one hand, the poison mana surrounding the weapon hissing against his skin. He didn’t even flinch.

The attacker’s eyes widened. "Impossible."

Reinhard pulled him forward. "You might want to work on your poison." His fist crashed into the man’s stomach, folding him around the blow and launching him backward, tearing through the poison cloud before crashing into the pavement.

Reinhard looked at the remaining green mist. It didn’t even make him cough. That’s convenient.

...

The third attacker raised both hands, mana gathering rapidly, a concentrated blast forming between his palms. "Die!" He fired.

The beam tore through the street. Reinhard’s eyes sharpened. He raised his hand.

The attack struck him directly. Dust exploded across the road. The attacker smiled. Then the dust cleared.

Reinhard was still standing. His clothes were damaged. His body wasn’t.

He looked down at himself. The Demon God Tyrant Body is ridiculous. He brushed the dust from his shoulder.

The attacker’s smile disappeared. Reinhard stepped forward. The man immediately created another Mana Shield, a translucent barrier appearing between them. Reinhard didn’t stop, his fist striking the shield.

Crack.

The barrier shattered. The attacker’s eyes widened. Reinhard’s second punch connected with his chest, and the man flew backward, landing unconscious several meters away.

The collector stared. He had seen countless C-Rank Awakeners fight. He had seen talented young fighters. But this was different. Reinhard’s mana was clearly C-Rank. Yet his physical strength was approaching B-Rank.

The collector’s expression became serious. What exactly is this man’s body?

A fourth attacker suddenly appeared behind Reinhard, his mana surging outward, a crude pressure descending over the street. Several civilians dropped to their knees. Even the other attackers paused.

The collector recognized it immediately. "Mana Pressure."

Reinhard felt the pressure. His body barely reacted.

The attacker’s expression changed. "Impossible."

Reinhard turned around. "That one was interesting."

The attacker stepped backward. Reinhard disappeared. A moment later, his fist struck the man’s face. The man was sent flying, landed heavily, and didn’t move again.

The pressure vanished. Silence settled across the street. The remaining attackers looked at their fallen companions, then at Reinhard. None of them moved.

Reinhard looked around. "Are you guys done?"

Nobody answered.

...

The collector finally stepped forward, and the remaining attackers immediately fled. He didn’t pursue them, looking instead at Reinhard. "You said you were C-Rank?"

"Yeah."

The collector studied him carefully. "Your mana is C-Rank."

"That’s right."

"But your physical strength—" He stopped. There was no need to finish the sentence.

Reinhard smiled. "I’m working on it."

The collector gave him a strange look. "You certainly are."

Behind them, several people had already pulled out their phones. The fight had happened too quickly for most of them to understand what they’d seen. But they’d seen enough.

One person lowered his phone. "Wasn’t that Reinhard?"

Another turned. "The guy from Axom?"

"I think so."

"That’s the man who saved those people during the restaurant bombing."

Someone else looked toward Reinhard. "Isn’t he only C-Rank?"

"He is."

"Then how did he break a Mana Shield like that?"

Nobody had an answer. Another person was already recording the fallen attackers. Someone nearby was talking excitedly about the fight.

The collector glanced toward the growing crowd before looking back at Reinhard. "You’ve attracted some attention."

Reinhard looked around. Phones were pointed in his direction. He sighed. "Again?"

Lily laughed from the doorway. "You really are suspicious."

Reinhard glanced at her. "Why am I always the suspicious one?"

"Because you’re weird."

Maki shook her head.

Emily, however, wasn’t looking at the crowd. She was looking at the collector, who had turned back toward her, his expression thoughtful. "Emily."

She looked up.

"You really intend to return?"

Emily glanced at Reinhard, then at her wheelchair. For a moment, she seemed to think about the question differently than she had before. "Yes."

The collector smiled. "Then I hope I get to see it."

Emily gave him a small smile. "So do I."

The collector nodded.

...

Around them, people were still talking. Several phones remained pointed toward Reinhard, while others were already showing the recording to people nearby. The fight had lasted less than a minute, but that had been more than enough.

A C-Rank Awakener had walked through a Mana Beam. He had shattered a Mana Shield with his bare fist. And he had ignored Mana Pressure entirely.

Reinhard glanced at the crowd, then quietly opened his inventory and checked the Eclipse Glass. All four materials, safely secured.

The fight was over. The attention would probably fade eventually. None of that mattered.

What mattered was that he had just seen something he couldn’t do.

Mana Shield. Mana Coating. Mana Blast. Mana Beam. Mana Pressure.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed slightly. So that’s how C-Rank Awakeners actually fight... I want those.

He had spent the last few days becoming stronger without properly learning how to use mana in combat. That was going to change.

If they’re going to use mana like that, then I should learn it too.

And next time, he wouldn’t be learning from the sidelines.