Demonic Pornstar System novel Chapter 524

Chapter 524: New Announcement

The crowd reacted instantly to the announcement.

Conversations cut off mid-sentence.

For a moment, the entire staging hall felt like it held its breath before the awakened community mobilized with the familiar efficiency of people who lived one dungeon breach away from disaster.

Kaiden and his girls moved with the flow as the open-air staging hall transformed from loose clusters of gossiping awakened into a shifting, purposeful tide of bodies converging toward the central briefing zone.

A tall metal stand, half podium, half observation platform, rose near the heart of the staging hall where the ground had been reinforced with runic anchors to prevent structural collapse under thousands of mana signatures.

Perched atop the platform stood a woman in Awakened Association attire, but not the sleek black combat armor most field agents wore, instead the pristine formal suit that marked her as upper management. The same one Grace tended to wear.

Her posture was straight as a lance, and her calm expression remained perfectly unshaken despite the sheer number of eyes now focused entirely on her.

Awakened streamed in from every direction. Most gathered directly around the staging floor, forming a broad semicircle. Others remained in their guild halls, carved into the sheer rock walls of the mountain range.

Even those farther away paused in mid-training or mid-meal to angle themselves toward the speakers. Within minutes, thousands of awakened had gathered. Some were curious, some tense, some already bracing themselves for what a sudden briefing always implied.

Only when the rumble of shuffling feet settled into near silence did the woman lift her voice.

"Thank you for your swift assembly," she began. Her tone was measured and professional, carrying easily through the amplifying runes embedded into the stand. "As many of you are aware, this mountain range, where monsters from multiple dungeons converge for a reason that is being studied as we speak, has remained active for over a week now. Despite multiple incursions and routine suppression efforts, the zone has not been stabilized or cleared. In fact, the number of monsters is reported to have grown since awakened activity began in the area."

The murmuring in the crowd remained polite, restrained. Any awakened who knew how to read her phrasing understood the subtext: People have been happily farming the anomaly but not making meaningful progress toward its elimination.

"But," she continued smoothly, "given the strategic importance of this region, our desire to understand what drives this occurrence, and the increasing risk factors associated with prolonged instability, the Association believes it is prudent to encourage a more proactive approach."

She chose her words carefully, with no trace of accusation, no edge of frustration. Instead, she wrapped the message in diplomatic phrasing that conveyed urgency without insulting any guilds or individuals benefitting from the current situation. High-ranking awakened politics required exactly that kind of velvet-wrapped iron.

A ripple of conversation spread through the crowd, a soft hum of speculation. Kaiden crossed his arms and listened, Aria leaning subtly against his shoulder while Luna and Bastet scanned the area with attention.

The woman’s gaze swept the gathering once more before she added, "The Association is not the only party that believes a shift in protocol is necessary."

With that statement, she stepped back from the podium.

This was not a retreat but more like making space.

The crowd immediately reacted. A wave of confusion passed through the ranks as necks craned and whispers flared.

"Why’d she move back?"

"Who’s going to speak now?"

"There’s no one else on the podium."

The silence lingered longer than anyone expected.

The Association representative had stepped aside as if making way for someone, yet no one else appeared. The gathered awakened shifted uneasily, glancing around as the quiet stretched thin.

A few Guild officers murmured to each other, voices low and uncertain, but even those conversations died out as the weight of anticipation sank in. The entire mountainside staging hall stilled beneath the open sky, thousands of awakened growing tense with collective expectation.

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