*Step!* *Step!*
The glass door opened automatically, and Rio walked into a meeting hall.
There was a roundtable placed in the middle of the meeting hall, and several S-rankers were sitting around there.
Originally, the S-rankers were chatting happily and laughing with each other, but the moment Rio entered, all of them fell silent.
All of their backs straightened, and they sat upright; many of them started staring at the table so that they would not have to look at Rio.
The pressure in the room became tense, and everyone felt a bit out of breath for a second.
’Oh, my god, why is this madman here!? I was only told this was a regular meeting!! Why did they summon him here!!?’
One of the S-rankers stared at his friend with a look of panic and shock, as if asking for answers.
The other party also shook his head in helplessness, as if he also didn’t know.
’Ah, Mother, Father, thanks for everything. I might not be able to make it back after today...’
Some prayed to God, and some started regretting their life choices the moment Rio appeared.
Rio found his seat and sat down with his usual emotionless look on his face while completely ignoring the mental burden his presence was causing to everyone else around him.
The two poor guys whose seats were right beside him were already sweating buckets.
"Hoh? Didn’t expect you to also be here too... Is the matter that serious?"
Rio wasn’t interested in talking to others, but he was surprised that Raji was also present in this meeting.
Hearing Rio’s question, Raji nodded her head and replied in her usual cold tone,
"I asked them to send the emergency recall to every S-ranker in the nation; those who are busy with important matters can’t come, only those who are available will arrive..."
"I thought you were on a mission; I didn’t expect you to make it back so early... What happened to that ’Snegnar’ fellow you were tracking?"
Rio leaned back on his chair and spoke in his usual emotionless tone.
"I have already dealt with him... he was too weak, not worth mentioning..."
Raji sighed at Rio’s words before responding.
"Your mission completion capabilities are indeed very good... but don’t use miasma too much, as that might create chaos..."
Raji wasn’t afraid that Rio would go on a wrong path; after all, his love for Lia is genuine.
If Rio had no loved ones and he was using miasma here and there, even Raji would have had to consider him as a ticking time bomb.
But the presence of Lia reassures her that Rio will not go rogue, even in extreme circumstances.
Just like how his use of miasma to punish criminals shows his aggressive side, his love for Lia shows that he also has a soft side to him.
Which means he’s not someone who will mercilessly slaughter innocent people.
This is the main reason why Raji hasn’t stopped Rio from openly using miasma and his horrible torture methods to deal with the criminals.
In the eyes of the ’law,’ every person has rights, even if they are criminals. What Rio is doing is illegal and can easily create trouble, but Raji cannot stop him either.
After all, Rio’s efforts of spreading fear and terror have caused many foreign criminals to escape and leave the country; even some local ones have disappeared overnight.
This has not only stabilized the chaos; it has reduced the crime rate tremendously while also giving a sense of protection and peace to the common folks.
S-rankers and above-level people are all valuable assets for a nation; if they are presented in a court, they will get favorable outcomes even if they are the ones that are wrong.
In a world where monsters, dungeons, and powerful beings wander free, every strong person has a lot of benefits that ordinary people can never hope to achieve.
The current situation is, in fact, a much better scenario; at least ordinary people are able to live and are protected by many strong people, and they have hope for a better future.
In the past, before King Allen created the ’World Awakener’s Alliance’ to enforce restrictions and bans, ordinary people were being treated worse than cattle by powerful beings.
Legends say that it was King Allen who freed all suffering people that were being forced into sl*very by powerful beings of this world.
Later on, his rules and restrictions finally tamed the powerful beings and put leashes on them to stop them from creating more atrocities.
But as everyone knows, crime can never truly be ended.
As long as people exist, there will always be people that can never fit with each other peacefully; at most, this can be reduced to the lowest levels possible.
...
"By the way, try not to use powerful skills when near a city or in crowded places... it reduced the chance of accidently causing casualties..."
"Don’t use cruel methods when in front of ordinary people or children... it might be nothing in the eyes of us superhuman beings..."
"But those kind of things can completely break an ordinary person’s mind..."
Raji herself is an SS-ranker and a very powerful person; she can use powerful spells but tries not to because she always has to hold back to prevent innocent lives from suffering.
"With your current power, it’s easy to shatter an entire city in one strike; make sure to always keep the face of the person you care about and you love in your mind..."
"It’s an old trick that many powerful awakeners have been using since the time of King Allen... it prevents you from taking rash actions..."
Rio nodded his head at Raji’s words of advice.
Although Rio has already graduated from the academy and has become a full-fledged adult, he’s still a newbie when compared to others.
Rio is already stronger than many veteran S-rankers, but he lacks the experience of a veteran.
As time passes, he will also become a veteran someday with the accumulation of experience.
While Raji and Rio were talking, a maid came over and served Rio tea with a happy smile on her face.
Unlike the S-rankers who were cowering in fear just from being in the same room as Rio, the ordinary woman was happy to meet Rio.
For awakeners and for criminals, Rio is a literal terror incarnate, as his reputation makes them afraid and terrified.
But for ordinary people who have nothing to do with the world of awakeners, he’s a shining angel, a hero of dawn who’s fighting for a new dawn and change in the nation.
...
Rio sipped tea, and the aura he was releasing relaxed subconsciously; the S-rankers finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Seeing this situation, many S-rankers had the same thought in their mind at that moment.
’I will go and sponsor those tea companies from now on; only they can keep this mad beast calm... It would be better to buy a tea set and keep it in the space ring all the time just in case...’
Unaware of the internal dilemmas of the S-rankers, Rio narrowed his eyes and looked at Raji before asking,
"So... What is this meeting about? I still have other rats to hunt; tell me about the problem..."
Raji nodded her head and glanced at every S-ranker before saying,
"I have already notified others who arrived earlier; this is the last batch of S-rankers to arrive..."
"The Association has found crucial intelligence, the ’World Alliance’ has issued an alert, some suspicious movements have been noticed in the demon continent..."
Hearing those words from Raji, the entire room went silent, and several S-rankers’ eyes widened in shock and panic.
Even Rio, who was sitting lazily and sipping tea, sat up straight with a solemn look on his face.