Detector

Just as Jiang Hou's expression turned grave and Zong Zheng Nanmo stood there in shock, unsure what to say, the black-haired girl's tone became breezy again.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. When the Yidu branch discovered traces of the Demon God, they reported it to headquarters. They'll definitely send stronger people to suppress it."

"Yidu's current problem is the large number of rifts that appeared in and around the city after the two World Impacts."

"The composition of these World Rifts is very complex. Some vanish as soon as they appear, some last for several days, and a few form a Different Dimension that separates two worlds."

"The appearance of rifts is accompanied by a massive outpouring of Pollution Energy. Once humans or animals come into contact with it, they mutate into twisted, bloodthirsty Pollution Monsters."

"Besides that, some Ancient Items fall out of the rifts."

"These are powerful sources of pollution. Although they are suppressed by the rules of the Real World and cannot release the Pollution Energy they contain, they continue to exist."

"And once a person or creature comes into contact with an Ancient Item, including swallowing it, they will be contaminated."

"Those who successfully endure it gain tremendous power and become awakened extraordinary beings. Those who fail become mutated monsters even stronger than Pollution Monsters—bloodthirsty, mad, and possessed of a little intelligence."

"You two are quite lucky. After coming into contact with pollution sources, you didn't turn into monsters. Instead, you evolved into extraordinary beings."

The person who said peace here was about to be shattered and that the Demon God was going to invade was her. The person saying not to worry because stronger people would come suppress it was also her.

Jiang Ruochan had said both the bad news and the reassuring words, leaving Jiang Hou and Zong Zheng Nanmo with nothing to say for a moment.

"By the way, can you tell me what you came into contact with the night before last?" The black-haired girl looked at them curiously.

"Me?"

Zong Zheng Nanmo shuddered. "The night before last, I was passing by a park when I suddenly fell into a pitch-black place. Then I saw a shadow like a vicious ghost pounce on me."

"After that, I passed out. When I woke up again, it was already late at night, and I was lying on the grass in the park."

"Yet after sleeping on the grass all night, not only did I not catch a cold, I felt healthier than ever. I could even touch the wind and control it."

As he spoke, Zong Zheng Nanmo held out his right hand. A tangible green whirlwind emerged from nothing in his palm, but after spinning twice, it abruptly collapsed.

"A black shadow." Jiang Ruochan pondered for a moment. "The pollution source you encountered was probably a residual imprint containing the power of an Ancient Era expert."

"That kind of pollution source belongs to the inheritance of the Deity Era."

Without waiting for Zong Zheng Nanmo to ask what the Deity Era was, Jiang Ruochan turned to Jiang Hou.

"The night before last, when I passed through the alley behind my residential complex, black mist appeared out of nowhere and swept me away. I ended up on the skeleton of a gigantic creature over a hundred meters long."

"Then I felt something enter my body. Pain tore through my entire body, and I passed out."

"When I woke up again more than two hours later, I was still lying in that alley. At the time, a food delivery rider happened to pass by."

"A single bone was over a hundred meters long. Just how huge must that creature have been when it was alive?" Zong Zheng Nanmo blurted out.

"I don't know, but it was definitely huge." Jiang Hou shook his head.

Wasn't that obvious? Zong Zheng Nanmo rolled his eyes.

"A single bone was over a hundred meters long. That skeleton should have come from the Behemoth Era. Only those Heaven and Earth Behemoths could have been so enormous."

"But so far, it seems no one has obtained an inheritance from the Behemoth Era." At this point, Jiang Ruochan suddenly became interested in Jiang Hou.

"Jiang, what ability and attribute did you awaken?"

"...I don't seem to have any ability or attribute. My strength just increased a lot. It's several times greater than an ordinary person's."

Noticing the change in Jiang Ruochan's gaze and tone, Jiang Hou felt that the power he had inherited seemed somewhat special.

"No attribute or ability? Your physical body was simply strengthened several times over?"

This time, Jiang Ruochan was stunned, because every extraordinary being who evolved through pollution possessed a corresponding talent or ability.

However, Jiang Hou might have obtained an inheritance from the Behemoth Era. That power system had always been mysterious, so it was normal for it to differ from the other eras.

"Jiang, is Jiang Hou's inheritance from that Behemoth Era very powerful? No one has ever awakened it before?" Zong Zheng Nanmo sounded a little envious.

Gods and the like were commonplace in anime. On the contrary, powers or sequence inheritances that no one had ever awakened were the truly strongest.

Jiang Ruochan shook her head. "No one awakening it doesn't mean it's powerful. It can only mean that this era's inheritance is incomplete."

"At present, there are eight known Ancient Eras that have been destroyed. Every inheritance, when developed to its peak, possesses World-Destroying might—even the power to create or destroy worlds."

"At the same time, every evolver is a 'genius,' a child of destiny, because those with bad luck have all turned into Pollution Monsters. So there's no need to worry about any 'secret' being exposed."

As she spoke, Jiang Ruochan glanced at Jiang Hou.

"All right, enough of that." Jiang Ruochan extended the invitation again. "So, will you join my club?"

Did she even need to ask? Of course he would join.

Whether it was semi-official or not did not matter. What mattered was that Jiang Ruochan could help him learn more about the extraordinary world, which was very important to Jiang Hou.

Besides, joining a club would not cost him anything. It was not like getting a job.

Zong Zheng Nanmo did not refuse either. He was not stupid. One look told him that this transfer student was no ordinary person. He would latch onto this powerful backer first.

"Very good. I probably won't be too bored for a while now."

In a good mood after recruiting two club members—underlings—Jiang Ruochan flipped her hand and produced two objects resembling Smart Watches, one blue and one black.

"This is an auxiliary device developed by the Heaven's Punishment Research Department last year: the Energy Detector."

"While retaining basic communication functions, it can classify danger levels through the energy fluctuations emitted by Pollution Monsters or enemies."

"Of course, energy fluctuations are only basic detection and do not represent actual strength."

"At the same time, the detector can scan the user's body and use specialized numerical calculations to determine your current overall rank."

"However, these two are only basic models. Their detection limit is Third Order, and they are mainly used by reserve members below Fourth Order in Heaven's Punishment. Their functions are fairly basic."

Zong Zheng Nanmo's eyes lit up. "President, I want one."

"Cough! Thank you for the gift, President." Jiang Hou coughed and did not stand on ceremony. After Zong Zheng Nanmo took the blue watch, he chose the black one.

He had not expected to receive a gift right after joining the club. This president was pretty good.

However, before the two of them could ask how to use the watches, Jiang Ruochan's phone rang.

"Hello! What..."

"All right, I'm coming over now." Jiang Ruochan hung up and hurriedly said, "There are operating instructions in the watches. Figure them out yourselves. I have something to take care of, so I'm leaving first."

"Oh, and remember to attend club activities after school from now on..."

With that, the black-haired girl left directly. Her sleeves fluttered as she walked, and her black hair moved despite the lack of wind, looking dashing and carefree.

Watching Jiang Ruochan leave, Zong Zheng Nanmo looked at Jiang Hou and was about to say something when Jiang Hou spoke first. "Let's see what's inside this thing first."

"Okay."

The two of them each found a chair and sat down.

The watch was very simple to operate. Following the beginner's guide, Jiang Hou swiped his finger and opened the document about the rank classification among extraordinary beings.

Eight large words immediately appeared: Extraordinary Rank Nine, Domain of the Gods.

Second update. More to come.