Upon returning to the division building after their hunt, Hella confronted Belle.
“Hey! We almost got hurt because of wrong information! The Drakon was an adult!” she said angrily, slamming her hands on the counter.
Belle was taken aback but composed herself, saying, “I don’t know how the assassination division could have made such a mistake.”
The assassination division were responsible for gathering intel on the monsters around the camp. They were trained in the art of infiltration, assassination, and gathering information.
Belle continued, “It either evolved recently, or maybe because it was an intermediate rank, they just assumed it was young.”
The classification of drakons by rank and age held significant importance. Typically, young drakons were categorized as intermediate rank, while the adults were considered at least intermediate+ rank.
Encountering an intermediate ranked adult drakon was an exceedingly rare occurrence. Despite bloodlines and ranks being separate aspects, individuals could choose not to advance in rank and instead focus on developing their bloodline powers.
However, this choice had its limits, as one’s physical body could only accommodate their bloodline powers up to a certain point. Additionally, your rank affected the power you could unleash with your bloodline.
Hella’s frustration was evident, “Those damn bastards. They’d better pay for this!”
Atticus watched all of this with an amused expression. In the short time he had known Hella, she had always been serious and bossy. He hadn’t expected to see her act this way.
After a while, she calmed down and handed over the loot from the Drakon to Belle for inspection. Belle examined the corpse and recorded the information on her holoscreen.
Notifications popped up for Atticus and the team members, each receiving 100 points for the loot.
Belle reassured them that she would investigate the matter further, and the group disbanded.
Throughout the process, Helodor was giving Atticus an intense death glare. However, Atticus completely ignored it, a reaction that seemed to further fuel Helodor’s anger.
As Atticus headed back, he reflected on the day’s experience, ‘I should be better prepared next time. Today was an important lesson. Although my life wasn’t in danger, it could have been worse.’
He too had been caught off guard by the drakon. He wanted to be better prepared next time incase of anything. ‘I really need to visit the emporium when i have enough point. I should be able to get something useful there.’
From the information Atticus had gathered, he found out that there was a market where recruits can buy arts, potions and other things with their points.
In the midst of his thoughts, his device rang, and Ember’s call appeared on the screen. .𝒎
Upon answering, Ember informed him that she was in the cafeteria.
Considering his hunger and the chance to spend time with her, Atticus decided to join her. He entered the cafetaria after a few minutes and found her sitting alone and approached.
“Hey Ember”
“Hey” she replied, a small smile forming on her lips.
Atticus sat down and they started talking, well Atticus did most of the talking.
As they were comfortably seated in the cafeteria, Nate and Lucas approached.
Nate grinned and playfully exclaimed, “Hey!”
After Atticus had demonstrated his strength by securing first rank and excelling during their hunt, Nate fully grasped that Atticus was not someone to be trifled with.
Although he still felt a hint of caution, he became more at ease as he observed Atticus’s relaxed demeanor.
Lucas’s demeanor appeared more composed, “Hello, I’m Lucas. Can we join you?” he asked.
Atticus glanced at Ember, silently seeking her approval, and upon finding her assent, gestured for them to take a seat.
Atticus wasn’t antisocial; he had numerous friends back on Earth. Although he was fully focused on getting stronger, that didn’t mean he would become some kind of recluse who only kept to himself.
Despite that, he recognized the need for caution expecially in this war riddened world. He would make friends with those he deemed trustworthy enough. As they sat down, Nate couldn’t hold back his curiosity, blurting out, “How on earth are you so strong? I mean, you were lightning fast during the test and that showdown with the drakon!”
Lucas, studied Atticus too. He knew Atticus consistently outperformed everyone in their morning training sessions, and there was an uncanny aura about him, one that makes him feel that he shouldn’t be messed with.
Atticus, meeting their inquiries with a small smile, answered Nate succinctly, “I train hard.”
Nate chuckled in response, “If only it were that easy”
“Is there so kind of special training in the main family we don’t know about?” Lucas asked.
Lucas had always been the smarter one of the duo. Although he wasn’t as physically talented as Nate, he made up for it with his intelligence. Piecing together that Atticus was from the main family was easy. The fact that Atticus was close with Ember, who everyone knew was from the main family, was a dead giveaway.
Atticus observed Lucas with a smile, ‘At least not all of them are brainless’.
He wasn’t actively concealing this information, but he had no intentions of openly announcing that he was from the main family. That would make him feel like a 16-year-old teen seeking attention.
“Not that i know of. The training facility is a good training source if you ask me”
“Well, yeah! But we need raven points to access it” Nate replied sadly.
“Mine was free, though,” Atticus mentioned casually. He had never needed points to access the training room.
“My guess was right. The ranks determine how you’re treated. If I guess correctly, the 1st to 3rd ranks use the facility for free.” Lucas deduced, using his index finger to adjust his glasses.
“Yeah. Ember you use it for free, right?” Atticus turned to Ember.
“Yes,” she nodded without a change in expression. “They’re both monsters,” Nate muttered playfully sulking, earning a chuckle from Lucas.
“Have you guys checked out the emporium?” Lucas changed the topic.
Atticus replied, “No, I haven’t checked it yet. I was thinking of gathering enough points first.”
“Yeah, you should. Nate and I checked it out, and the prices were high. One health potion costs 200 points.”
Atticus couldn’t help but be a little surprised by the high prices at the emporium. ‘Wouldn’t people go bankrupt at this rate?’ he pondered.
‘The fights happening in camp are numerous, and there would be lots of injured people. If the price of a single health potion was this high, how much would it cost for a severe injury?’ Atticus shook his head, putting the useless thoughts aside.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. I should gather enough points and visit the emporium soon,’ he decided.
Speaking for some minutes, Atticus and Ember left the cafeteria.
They decided to engage in a friendly spar, so they headed to Atticus’s room and into his training room.
Ember was holding a wooden spear with the tip blunt and Atticus a wooden sword.
They agreed not to use their bloodlines during the spar.
Ember was already aware of Atticus quadruple elements, he had revealed it during their earlier talks.
She wasn’t as surprised as the others, she had always know Atticus was different, but it still gave her a little shock. Seeing someone that can control 4 elements was not something you see everyday.
They each got into a stance. Without wasting time, they dashed towards each other.
𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ