My SSS-Rank Clone Talent: I Level Up Endlessly! novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Cold Truth of the World! Entering a Gate!

[Back story]

The man stood at the top of a tower, his short white hair fluttering in the wind, bandage covering his face.

Amid the chaos, everything was a blur—no one was paying attention. No one except Eryke.

He could see him!

The man's cold eyes watched the burning city, unmoving, indifferent.

Then his phone rang and he answered and after some time he waved his hand, water surged forward, sweeping across the city and smothering the flames in an instant.

Eryke turned his gaze to the devastation around him.

A little child sobbed beside the half-crushed body of his mother. A stroller sat nearby, the cries of an infant piercing the air, its parents' fate unknown. A silent father clutched his child tightly. A young girl wept over the lifeless body of her brother.

A child who had lost his mother!

A sister who had lost her brother!

Countless families, shattered!

A chill ran down Eryke's spine. His eyes dimmed, their gleam fading into a distant, hollow stare. Even through the pain, only one thought consumed him:

Why?

If this Awakener had the power to save him and the others earlier, why had he waited? Why had it taken a phone call to act? Were the lives of these people worth nothing more than a single ring of a phone?

After the incident, it was as if nothing had happened. Life returned to normal. The tragedy was forgotten—buried beneath the praise for the heroic S-Rank Awakener. The truth, unknown.

Eryke remained silent. His pupils had lost all color, his spirit drained. Even when he was healed and discharged from the hospital, only because he couldn't afford to stay, he remained broken. He couldn't even mend his leg with a healer.

He was too poor.

For a normal person, being healed by an Awakener would cost a small fortune—something even health insurance wouldn't cover.

Eryke felt lost and depressed, spending most of his time cooped up in his room. He became increasingly immersed in the virtual world, gradually losing his grip on reality. His dream of becoming an olympic winner was lost in time...

[Back story end]

Roar!

Eryke's ears twitched as he was startled awake by a giant green arm protruding from the gate. Before he could react, the massive limb cast a looming shadow over him.

"Shit." He was startled and backed away in a hurried motion.

His eyes locked onto the giant green hand in terror.

Starlight gathered in his arms—he was ready to fight!

But the hand didn't move further; instead, it withdrew back into the gate, as if warning him not to come closer.

Eryke remained calm and collected, his eyes narrowing.

But just as he was about to move, he heard rustling in the bushes and quickly hid away, activating before making a small hole to peek through.