Chapter 20: The secret The girl’s name was Lisa, and the two boys were Sam and John. When Remond heard that there was a reward involved—and possibly a hidden secret—his curiosity was immediately piqued. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the girl, his tone steady. "What’s the secret about? If it’s interesting enough, we might escort you to the camp." Hearing this, the students lit up with joy. Relief washed over their exhausted faces. They had come out here to conduct research, and even hired a team of martial warriors for protection. But those so-called professionals had bolted the moment danger appeared, running with their tails between their legs, abandoning them like cowards. They had narrowly escaped death. Even now, there was a residual fear lingering in their hearts. They didn’t care about the reward anymore—they just wanted to get back alive. And as for the secret? It wasn’t even something they discovered themselves; they had merely overheard it during their stay. Lisa stepped forward and said seriously, "We heard from a few others that in the eastern zone, there’s an abandoned building. A Flame Ape has settled there—and it’s currently trying to break through from level 9 master to grandmaster." At her words, everyone’s eyes gleamed with sudden interest. A monster attempting a breakthrough was always in a fragile state. During that brief period, even a cultivator of equal level could potentially slay it. If timed right, it was a golden opportunity. Remond immediately turned to Ethan and asked, "Ethan, this is dangerous. The beast is no joke. Do you want in or out? But if we manage to kill that Flame Ape... we could earn at least five hundred million alliance coins. What do you think?" Ethan’s eyes sparkled. Give up on a chance like this? Hell no. He was no longer just a mere master-level fighter. With his sword intent, he could now face off against any level 5 grandmaster easily. Would he be afraid of a monster trying to break through? Laughable. Seeing Ethan nod in agreement, Remond let out a long sigh of relief. If Ethan had refused, they couldn’t do anything about it. It was only Ethan’s second day in the wilderness, and going up against a peak-level master beast was suicidal for most. But this wasn’t just any time—the ape was on the verge of breakthrough. The perfect window. Remond turned to Tyson and Mike. "Escort the students to the camp. We’ll wait here. The breakthrough process for a level 9 beast usually takes around three days. That gives us enough time." Tyson and Mike nodded and departed with the students. Meanwhile, Ethan and the rest made their way toward a nearby ruin to wait. Ethan sat cross-legged, his breathing calm, posture straight. With a focused breath, he released his mental energy—an invisible wave rippling through the atmosphere. His mental sense now covered a full 30 kilometers in raduys. Since Area-40 was only 50 km in radius, he could sweep more than half the zone in one go. As his perception expanded, vivid images began forming in his mind—like sonar, but far sharper. Dozens of beasts roamed the area. Most were level 9 warrior-class, a few had already reached master-level. Their elemental auras painted the landscape with violent shades—fire, ice, wind, and darkness mingling like an unseen storm. He even saw a level 9 master-class tiger tearing into the corpse of a deer-shaped monster, its jaws bloodied, tail twitching. There were martial artists too, spread across the zone in scattered groups. No grandmaster-level beings, either beast or human, appeared—at least not at first. But then, as his mental net swept eastward, the dilapidated building came under his watch. And there it was. A massive ape—its body hunched, fur matted, and breath burning like steam—sat motionless on the second floor. Its aura told Ethan everything. It had already broken through. It was now a Level 1 Grandmaster. Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. "So the beast has already advanced... Should I tell the others? Nah... they wouldn’t believe me anyway. It doesn’t matter. I can deal with that ape even with my eyes closed." He gave a soft snort, amused by the dramatic reactions that were sure to follow. Let them see the truth for themselves. Besides, there were multiple martial teams gathered around the building already—clearly, they’d heard the rumors too. But they had no idea death was hiding inside, waiting for them to come knocking. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 An hour and a half passed. Tyson and Mike returned, visibly relaxed. They held a small alloy case and grinned. "We got 50 million alliance coins as reward," Tyson said. "Those students weren’t ordinary. Must be from some big family." It was now noon. Lukas looked uneasy. "Captain, should we really wait here? Everyone’s already gathering there. What if another team makes the first move?" Ethan heard Lukas and thought to himself, Be more confident, Lukas. Stop saying ’what if.’ There are already dozens of martial artsts there. That’s a fact. But that wasn’t the real problem. The real issue is whether I should expose my strength... If a fight breaks out and I reveal that I have grandmaster level strength—won’t Charles have a heart attack? What if they try to dissect me like some lab rat? I’m not ready to fight the upper echelon of the planet yet... He paused, then remembered something. My flying knives. No one knew he could use them. And in the chaos of night, no one would see a black knife slicing through the air at lightning speed. That gave him an edge. He let out a soft exhale, feeling more relaxed. Afternoon rolled in, and the group began moving toward the building in the east. As they approached, they saw even more martial artists—nearly twenty individuals, all surrounding the structure from various sides. Among them was Eric’s team too. A single thought passed through everyone’s mind: Who’s going to make the first move? The air was thick with tension—silent, heavy, electric. Suddenly, Remond cleared his throat and spoke. "Everyone, why don’t we come to an agreement first?" The others turned. One of the team leaders, a level 9 master, asked, "What kind of agreement, Remond?" Remond gestured calmly. "Let’s all attack together. The building has multiple master-level beasts inside—it won’t be easy alone. Whoever kills a beast, keeps it. As for the Flame Ape, whichever team contributes the most gets the bounty. It’s only logical. If we fight amongst ourselves, the ape will either escape—or worse—kill us in the chaos." Silence fell again. Then nods followed. His logic was sound. After some discussion, the four teams agreed. The attack would begin at sundown. Everyone dispersed and started conserving energy. As the sun dipped below the horizon, a heavy orange glow painted the landscape. Twenty martial artists slowly approached the building, weapons drawn, energy flaring lightly around them. But then... A deafening roar erupted—like a jet engine tearing the sky apart. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. The ground trembled. From the surrounding wilderness, dozens—no—hundreds of beasts surged forward like a black tide. And then, the true horror emerged. A five-meter-tall Flame Ape stood atop the building, its eyes glowing like burning coals. Flames danced across its fur, and the pressure it released was suffocating. This was not a vulnerable beast. This was a Grandmaster. Fully broken through. Overflowing with raw, terrifying power. Everyone froze. The air grew still with despair. The information had been wrong—completely wrong. There was no weakened monster. Only death. They were surrounded. Dozens of master-level beasts had closed in. Escape seemed impossible. Remond let out a bitter laugh, eyes wet with emotion. "My daughter was just born a few days ago... If I die here, my family is doomed." He looked at Ethan, voice heavy with guilt. "I’m sorry, brother... I’m a sinner. For my greed, I may have caused humanity to lose its greatest genius. Will they ever forgive me?" Ethan blinked, speechless. What is this man even saying? Are we fighting the Ocean Emperor or something? This is just a measly Level 1 Grandmaster. Calm down, people... Your supreme king,the great Ethan is here,no one can hurt you" Ethan smirked in his heart.