Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty-Four: Trending Night Star

Chapter Thirty-Four: Trending Night Star

By the time he finished the second paragraph, Valen’s expression had become utterly blank.

He felt second-hand embarrassment for the person who wrote this post.

Then he proceeded to the third paragraph, mostly out of curiosity.

---

< I have to be honest with y’all. What happened in the Hero Sector would leave you completely stunned. Three Level 10 Ironfang Centipedes!

These were monsters that should have turned us into nothing more than a tragic footnote in history. We all despaired, especially when two Dark Worshippers decided to silence us.

But instead of retreating, Night Star stepped forward, unleashing a devastating cannon blast that literally devoured the air. In one silent, harrowing attack, he obliterated all three of those behemoths. He stood there, as a Level 1 Evolver, facing down a Dark Worshipper to protect his spoils.

My Final Words: We talk about heroes in the Astral Veil, but a hero walked among us today in the Grey Lands. He was like a beacon of hope when all was lost. I truly wonder... what would’ve happened if he had never been there today? >

Attached Videos:

Elite_Sector_Gate.mp4

OneShot_King_Highlights.mp4

TripleKill.mp4

---

When he finished the third paragraph, he almost wanted to close the post entirely.

Not because it was bad, but because it sounded too cringe.

The comments below were even worse.

< "NO WAY THIS GUY IS LEVEL 1!" >

< "That rifle accuracy is fake." >

< "It’s real. I was there." >

< "Night Star carried the entire raid!" >

< "Someone find his profile!" >

< "Our River Lane Guild must recruit him immediately! Anyone have a lead on his identity?" >

< "He’s definitely hiding his level." >

Valen silently stared at the screen before scrolling further down.

The attached videos had already accumulated hundreds of thousands of views.

And the number was rising so quickly that he could practically watch it increase in real time.

Click.

The first video began playing.

Valen immediately saw himself standing before the Elite Sector gate.

Dozens of frightened Evolvers gathered behind him.

The footage had clearly been recorded by someone in the crowd.

The comments exploded.

< "Look at that pressure." >

< "Was he insane?" >

< "He bought everyone time!" >

...

Valen rubbed his forehead as the video transitioned to the second clip.

A familiar rifle appeared in his hands... then the slaughter began.

One Amberfiend after another collapsed.

The footage zoomed in on the moment Tristan narrowly escaped death.

A single shot rang out, and the monster’s head exploded.

The comments became even more chaotic.

< "SMOKES—" >

< "That distance isn’t normal." >

< "One shot, one kill." >

< "One-Shot King!" >

< "ONE-SHOT KING!" >

...

Valen immediately skipped forward. And unfortunately, that only brought him to the third video.

The Triple Kill.

The black sphere of darkness in his hands as he and the woman struck at the same time.

Then came the silent devouring and the resulting triple kill.

The footage had captured it all.

Even through the recording, the attack looked terrifying.

Three gigantic Ironfang Centipedes disappeared into the darkness before the explosion consumed them completely.

Silence followed as Valen stared at the screen.

’That... looked kinda cool.’

He quickly pushed such thoughts away, his finger moving toward the close button. But then another notification appeared.

[HOT TOPIC #1 IN WHITE STAR CITY]

The Lone Star of Black Ruin Castle: Why We Owe Our Lives to Night Star

Views: 1,203,442

Likes: 718,334

Comments: 192,117

Shares: 346,220

The corner of Valen’s lips twitched, but a second notification followed.

[Your username has entered White Star City’s Top 100 Trending Topics.]

Valen was speechless, but as though messing with him, a third notification appeared.

[Your username has entered White Star City’s Top 50 Trending Topics.]

Valen slowly lowered the Silver Watch and dispersed the projection.

Somewhere in White Star City, thousands of people were currently watching videos of him.

He didn’t really know how he should feel.

Excited?

But then he opened the post again and read the title one more time.

URGENT UPDATE: The Lone Star of Black Ruin Castle: Why We Owe Our Lives to ’Night Star’

A few seconds later, he leaned back heavily into his seat.

"...I’m never trusting Evolvers with system lenses again."

***

While Valen headed home to rest, tonight wasn’t that peaceful for everyone, as hidden currents of unrest swept through the city.

In a dark room within the underground town, two individuals sat across from one another. One of them was clad in a Blood Diamond Power Suit, while the other used a cloth to wrap his face.

"Corner, has the identity of that Night Star been investigated?" the man in the Blood Diamond Power Suit asked in a low tone.

The man with a wrap over his face — Corner — replied evenly:

"Indeed, Lord Crimson. He left the city tonight and had to display his information. I have thoroughly investigated him. The full details have already been forwarded to you."

Crimson nodded as a black screen floated before him.

After going through the information, he chuckled as he stood up and said:

"I need you to find the exact Void Ship he’ll board to the Astral Veil. That’s your top priority for now."

Corner’s brows furrowed as he asked slowly:

"Lord Crimson, you do not have to personally deal with an upcoming Evolver merely because of a few wormhole-stabilising materials, right?"

Crimson glanced sideways at Corner as he replied:

"That’s none of your business. Yasmin will be the one dealing with him, not me. Just get to work and make sure you don’t identify the wrong Void Ship. Otherwise..."

Crimson left his words hanging as he donned a black cloak and left the dark room.

***

At the entrance of the city, several soldiers stood with respectful gazes as they saluted a medium-built man clad in a black uniform with a purple star resting on his shoulder.

He entered the city with a composed expression and beckoned to a nearby soldier. When the soldier came over, he asked:

"Do you have information on any Evolver called Night Star?"

The young soldier who had been called over was dumbfounded. Why were so many people suddenly asking about the Evolver called Night Star?

Although he was confused and curious, he didn’t dare ask any questions and simply brought up the records of those who had left the city.

"These are all we got, General."

"Hmm." The General nodded and took a look at the blue screen.

The corners of his mouth turned up as he muttered:

"Valen, huh?"

He then patted the young soldier on the shoulder before vanishing from his position in a blur.

***

Deep in space, a small battleship flew through the cosmos at a frightening speed.

"Captain, Shadow’s line has connected."

A young man with arctic-blue eyes stepped into the command room as he addressed Captain Gilbert.

Captain Gilbert nodded and tapped the air before him, displaying a projection of a mask-wearing man dressed in a formal black suit.

Not waiting for Shadow to speak, he asked:

"How’s the progress?"

Shadow shook his head, his raspy voice echoing from the screen.

"There’s still no clue. But I believe the person you’re searching for must be a new Evolver. It’s no exaggeration to say that I know all veteran Evolvers, and none of them seem to have discovered a Silver Power Suit, as you described."

Captain Gilbert’s eyes narrowed.

"So what are you trying to say?"

The mask-wearing man on the other side of the screen replied plainly:

"You’ll have to pay double."