CHAPTER 146: CHAPTER 146 - ALVAREZ FAMILY PLOTTING?

An hour later, two giant doors were held open for Logan by Silas and Garrick.

Countless cameras flashed as he walked towards the podium.

Hundreds of reporters sat packed together, their hologram recorders hovering silently above them.

As he stepped onto the podium, everyone fell silent for a moment.

"Good afternoon everyone," Logan said, adjusting the mic slightly. "Thank you for being here on such short notice, especially given the recent chaotic events we were forced to endure."

He paused, letting the weight of the assassination attempt and the Willowshade dungeon sink in.

"I won’t waste your time with excuses," he said, eyes scanning the crowd of reporters. "Mercer Industries suffered a direct attack. Innocent people were caught in the crossfire of something far larger than them."

"To see something so horrific happen at my own company’s doorstep... it’s unacceptable," he said, shaking his head with anger.

"I can only be grateful that one of our S-rank guardians, Silas, was present at the time. Without him, the death toll would have been far worse."

The reporters remained silent, recorders blinking as they stared at Logan with wide eyes.

"Our investigation is still ongoing, but we have already determined that this was no random act. The attacker was professional and coordinated, with a clear goal in mind."

He let the words hang in the air.

"That was to kill me."

Murmurs spread through the reporters as they stared at each other. Never before had someone of such high stature been so direct.

"But I’m still standing here," Logan said, smiling slightly. "And I’m not planning to go anywhere."

"To those watching who had the billions of resources to hire an assassin like Hellshot, I suggest you spend a little more next time... because you failed."

The reporters let out gasps, heavy murmurs spreading through the room.

Logan stood up, his expression neutral as he walked towards the exit with Garrick and Silas by his side.

The conference room shut behind him, sealing out the noise from the reporters.

Edric stood in the hallway, an uneasy expression on his face. "Is this what you meant by adding a little?"

Before Logan could respond, Garrick slapped his back hard with a booming laugh, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"That was ballsy, kid," he said through his laughing. "I’m impressed."

For the first time in a while, a small but genuine smile spread on Logan’s face.

’The public can piece it together from here,’ he thought. ’Now it’s only a matter of time before Alvarez loses their grip on the market.’

Edric sighed, rubbing his temples, though a small smile spread on his face. "You did well. We’ll get to work on locking down any suppliers looking to switch sides."

Silas stayed quiet for a moment, then finally spoke up.

"Thanks for mentioning me out there," he said, his tone calm but sincere. "Didn’t think you’d bring it up."

Logan glanced at him.

"You were the reason a lot of people made it out alive," he replied simply. "That deserves recognition."

Silas gave a small nod, smiling.

A heavy silence hung in the air inside the Alvarez family’s boardroom.

Holograms hovered over a sleek obsidian table, showing several different news networks, either replaying Logan’s speech or the disaster inside the Willowshade dungeon.

Daniel Alvarez sat with his head in his hands, staring at the holograms in disbelief.

"How could this have happened..." he muttered.

The room remained silent. Several board members and core Alvarez members stared at him, not willing to speak.

"I thought the experiments were shut down," one of them finally muttered. "That treant wasn’t supposed to exist, let alone manifest at that scale."

"We did shut them down," another replied defensively. "Three years ago. There’s no way it was ours."

Daniel didn’t lift his head. His voice came out low and hoarse. "Then what the hell was it?"

No one had an answer.

Every screen still looped Logan and the disaster at the dungeon.

Daniel slammed his fists on the obsidian table. "Why did that fucking Hellshot have to fail?!" he shouted.

One of the older board members flinched but spoke. "He’s claiming the information we provided was incomplete, so he’s refusing a refund."

Daniel’s bloodshot eyes turned to his board member. "Refusing? He torched our reputation and didn’t even finish the job! Does he think this is some kind of game?!"

"He’s Hellshot," another board member said grimly. "We’re better off letting it go—lest he kill one of us."

A tense silence settled in the room as the board members shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"How am I going to explain this to the Holy Cross guild?" Daniel muttered, despair in his eyes. "They sponsored most of it..."

Messages flashed across the holograms one by one, each from familiar suppliers and investors.

"Midas Freight has suspended all contracts pending safety reviews."

"Pending lawsuits from three partner guilds regarding unsafe dungeon conditions..."

One after another, the alerts stacked.

Daniel gripped the edge of the table so tightly, his knuckles turned white and the surface cracked beneath his hands.

"Are we just going to bleed out while watching the news?" he growled.

One of the board members leaned forward nervously. "We are trying to reach out, but they’ve all seen Mercer’s speech and the dungeon mess. Now even our loyal suppliers think we’re a ticking time bomb."

"We’ve lost a good chunk of our market in several sectors already," another added. "At this rate, we won’t survive another quarter without serious outside help."

Daniel’s jaw clenched as his face turned red from anger.

Before he could speak up, a sweet voice echoed through the room.

"Then, would you all be so kind to let me clean this up?"

Everyone turned to the chair nearest to Daniel, where Aylana Alvarez sat calmly, still in her university uniform.

"Aylana..." Daniel muttered, caught off guard.

She stood up, smiling innocently.

"The Holy Cross guild’s SSS-rank confirmed it," she said with a giggle. "They can’t stop Logan from joining the Freshman competition."

Murmurs spread through the room, many expressions darkening instantly.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. "And?"

"And... I’ve decided that I will challenge him," she said, her voice light. "In a formal duel to the death."

Pure silence.

Daniel stared at her, eyes narrowing. "...You’re an upperclassman, Aylana."

Aylana smiled faintly. "So?"

"You’ll be challenging a freshman. Publicly. In front of every institution and news channel."

"And?" she replied sweetly. "The academy’s rules allow for inter-year duels. Especially when one side issues a formal death match."

A few board members exchanged looks, visibly uncomfortable.

Daniel’s voice turned low, firm. "Do you realize how bad it will be for our reputation and—"

"Our image won’t recover anytime soon," she interrupted, her smile fading. "This is our last shot to win without handing over majority control to the Holy Cross guild."

Daniel nodded slowly, lost in thought. "But he has an SSS-rank talent..."

"So what?" Aylana asked, smiling sweetly again. "I will reach Platinum Core before the competition, while he’ll remain a Silver Core."

Silence fell again as everyone digested her words.