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And just a few moments later, it was confirmed for him.

[Requirements met, soul core upgraded to D rank.]

In an instant, Alex felt an influx of energy and strength enter his body.

The feeling of ranking up still felt as mystical as every other time, only this time the effect was more substantial.

The higher his soul core reached in the ranks, the more substantial each upgrade would be.

The gap between each rank only widened the higher one went, which was even more notable after one reached B tier.

But that was something Alex had to consider in the future.

For now, he was focused on one thing, and one thing only.

'The Floodgate's activating again!'

He was forced to cut his rank up celebration short.

***

At the nearby military base, the atmosphere was jubilant.

Mercenaries and university students who had come to Ceres-9 to accept the mission were partaking in celebrations for overcoming the Floodgate event.

The bars were packed to the brim, filled with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses filling the air.

Exaggerated stories of bravery and close calls were exchanged, each one only becoming more and more exaggerated with each retelling.

A group of students sat around a table, their faces flushed with a mixture of excitement and alcohol.

"Can you believe it?" One of them, a tall, lanky guy named Jake exclaimed.

"We actually did it! And none of us died this time!"

It might be concerning to the average unawakened person how unbothered these mercenaries and students seemed by the thousands of deaths occurring on the battlefield.

And while they might have felt sad and grieved by their comrades or friends dying, death was a common occurrence in the world of the awakened.

To the Awakened who couldn't bear to see their loved ones die right in front of them, it was much easier on them to maintain surface level relationships with their comrades and friends, so that in the event that one of them died, they wouldn't be so mentally affected by their death.

A mercenary at the next table over raised his glass. "Here's to us! We saved this planet's sorry ass!"

Amid the celebrations, a hushed conversation was taking place in a corner of the bar. A group of seasoned mercenaries and a few sharp eyed students were discussing the real game changer in this battle.

"You guys saw that stranger, right?" Said Greg, a burly mercenary with burn marks on his cheek.

"The one who showed up out of nowhere and started tearing through those C tier beasts like they were nothing?"

A young woman named Laura, one of the university students, nodded. "Yeah, I saw him. He was incredible. His movements were a little stiff but he made up for them with his incredible speed and strength."

Another mercenary, Sam, leaned in. "I heard he's just a D- ranked student. Got that info by slipping a few beast cores to a military officer."

"No way!" Jake interrupted, shaking his head in disbelief. "A D- rank? You've got to be kidding. That guy was taking out C tier beasts with ease. That doesn't add up."

"It's true," Laura confirmed. "I scanned his Floodgate emblem when he first arrived. He's a student from Capital Prime university. Name's Alex, but he didn't stick around to chat."

Greg laughed, a deep, booming sound. "Kid's got guts, I'll give him that. But if he's only D- rank, he's got a bright future ahead of him. Mark my words, he's gonna be famous."

Sam nodded. "We should get on his good side now. Who knows what kind of benefits we can get by becoming close with him?"

"Good idea," Laura agreed. "But where is he now? I haven't seen him since the mission ended."

Jake shrugged. "Probably left the planet already. No point in sticking around after the job's done for such a talent like him."

Nearby, Greg frowned, his brow furrowing in thought. "Actually, I saw him just before we came here. He was still at the battlefield, sitting in front of the Floodgate. Looked like he was meditating or something."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Still there? What for?"

Before anyone could answer though, a sudden boom echoed across from the distance.

Every bar and every tent in the military base went silent, as each mercenary, soldier and student looked in the direction the deafening sound just echoed from.

It came from the direction of the Floodgate.

"It can't be!" Someone exclaimed.

All of the students and mercenaries thought the same thing. They realised instantly why Alex was still in front of the Floodgate.

They were celebrating prematurely.

Greg was the first to break the silence. "Damn it all! We need to get back there. Now!"

Laura shook her head, her face pale. "If Alex stayed, he must have known something was wrong. Besides, he's by far the strongest person in this area. If we went over to help, we'd only be hindering him."

***

Back at the battlefield, Alex stood firm as the Floodgate began to shimmer and pulsate with energy once more. He could feel the surge of power emanating from it, and his instincts screamed at him to prepare for a tough battle.

'Variant class.' Alex thought, recognising that same pressure leaking from the Floodgate.

He felt the exact same oppression when he fought against the Variant class creature summoned by the Count back in the Primordial Expanse.

Only this aura was much, much stronger.

'It's at least C rank.'

Alex was unsure if he would even be able to handle it, as his strength could only theoretically reach Variant C- rank level when he went all out, with no disturbances or distractions to ruin his flow.

However, considering he had just ranked up, as well as the fact he had Phoenix flames at his disposal, he was willing to give it a shot.

And if he succeeded…

Then he would be one huge step closer to reaching Variant class himself!