Chapter 229: The Great Awakening

It had been a few minutes since Lucy transferred the information into Liam’s mind, and he had taken his time going through everything carefully.

Sitting on the couch inside Dark Dragon Villa’s grand living room, he leaned back, eyes half-closed, absorbing every piece of data like water through sand.

"Fifteen years ago," Liam muttered, summarizing what he’d just read, "the world changed overnight."

According to Lucy’s findings, humanity in this version of Earth had experienced a disaster that later came to be known as the Great Awakening. One night, across every continent, gates had appeared—massive rifts in the sky and on the ground, shimmering like torn mirrors. From them poured creatures that defied reason.

Cities fell in hours. Entire armies were almost wiped out. Humanity teetered on the brink of extinction—until something unexpected happened.

People began to awaken powers.

The first Hunters, as they would later be called, appeared by accident—ordinary civilians who, when pushed to their limits, unleashed abilities that rivaled the monsters themselves. Over time, those awakenings spread across the world and eventually, humanity learned how to fight back.

It took five years before the world stabilized enough to rebuild. The new age was born out of chaos—one built around Gates, monsters, and the Hunters who kept them in check.

The system governing power here was simple but efficient. Every Hunter was ranked from F Rank to SSS Rank, depending on their strength, skill, and contribution. Most awakened at random ranks, though advancement depended heavily on one’s talent, potential, and luck.

There were also two distinct types of Hunters: normal and unique.

Unique Hunters are chosen few who awakened with unique abilities that broke all known rules—manipulating fire, bending water, commanding ice, lightning, or even space.

Lucy’s data showed that only a fraction of the population had such gifts.

The world’s population currently sat just under six billion. Of that, less than two percent were Hunters. Out of that two percent, fewer than thirty individuals across the entire planet possessed unique abilities. Thirty people—on an entire world.

Liam’s brows furrowed slightly. "Thirty. That’s... low."

"Correct, Master. Unique abilities are considered the highest form of awakening. The rarity has made them a global commodity—highly sought after, and often protected by their respective governments."

"Governments," Liam repeated softly, glancing toward the tall glass windows that looked out across the estate. "So this world still has those intact."

"Yes, Master. Though the balance of power now lies equally between governments, guilds, and global corporations. The Hunter Associations operate as both regulators and military branches. Their authority rivals that of nations."

Liam nodded slowly, impressed. "Efficient. Brutal, but efficient."

He wasn’t interested in the Hunters for now, though. At least not yet. His immediate concern was simpler—management.

He sighed lightly, leaning back. "Looks like I’ll have to start recruiting again. Let’s hope the private bank division of this world’s banks are no different from Earth’s"

As if on cue, his phone began to ring.

The screen displayed an unfamiliar number. .

"Hello?" He answered.

A warm, professional voice came through the speaker. "Good evening, Mr. Scott. My name is Alice Hathaway, calling on behalf of J.P. Morgan Private Client Services. I hope I’m not reaching you at a bad time."

"Not at all. Please, go on," Liam smiled.

"Thank you, sir," Alice said. "I’m reaching out to inform you that your account balance has reached the threshold qualifying you for transition into our Private Bank division. Congratulations."

She continued, "If you’d like, we can arrange an introduction to one of our senior Private Bankers who oversees client relationships in your region. They’ll reach out to you within the next business day to coordinate a time that suits your schedule."

Her professionalism was impeccable. Polite, direct, and disciplined.

"They’ll walk you through our full suite of services—investment management, estate and trust structuring, liquidity strategies, and global cash management. From there, we’ll tailor the relationship around your financial goals and priorities."

Liam nodded to himself, even though she couldn’t see him. "That sounds good to me. I’d like to be introduced."

"Wonderful," she said, the warmth in her tone increasing slightly. "Before we proceed, may I confirm your preferred point of contact and mailing address so our onboarding team can send your welcome materials securely?"

"This number works best," Liam said. "As for the address—Dark Dragon Villa, Dragon Cave Estate, Old Bethesda."

There was a pause on the other end. Just for a moment and Liam noticed it.

When she spoke again, her tone had shifted ever so slightly—more formal, almost cautious.

"Understood, Mr. Scott. Thank you. You can expect a call from one of our Private Bankers within the next twelve hours. He’ll introduce himself and confirm your preferred arrangements. It’s truly a pleasure connecting with you, Mr. Scott. On behalf of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, welcome."

"Thank you," Liam replied.

They exchanged polite farewells, and the line went dead.

Liam stared at his phone for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Less than a day in this world, and the system’s already making waves."

He could guess exactly what had happened. The moment Clara had heard Dark Dragon Villa, some internal system at J.P. Morgan must have triggered a flag. It was likely registered as a high-priority asset, maybe even listed among post-Great Awakening elite properties. The sudden acceleration—from twenty-four hours to twelve—said enough.

"Looks like this world’s version of J.P. Morgan is just as sharp."

Liam couldn’t help but think of parallel version of his Daniel Conley and his friends. He wondered if they survived the Great Awakening.

But while he was curious, the truth was that he doesn’t care. This isn’t his home and he doesn’t want to get close to the alternate version of people from his life back home.

Liam checked the phone for how long he has spent in this world and he saw that only a few minutes had passed, even though he has spent at least two hours.

He wondered if the time difference between this parallel Earth and his home world is the same as the cultivation world. But he can only wait to find out.

He won’t leaving anytime soon. His schedule is free tomorrow and his next meeting is in two days time.

It was time to explore this new world. He was really curious to see the things that this altered version of Earth has in store for him.

He stood up from the couch, picked up the car key and stepped out of the Villa. He walked to the car and got in, started the engine and drove out.