Chapter 103: Catching up (1)

[User Panel: Zaid Zachary]

Level 10: 180/200 PE.

Monster Essence (ME): 55,600.

[Statistics Window]

| Strength: 60

| Agility: 51

| Vitality: 60

| Intelligence: 55

[Unique Awakening Skill]

Talent Market: Talent Copy Shop System.

[Soul Talent]

Scavenger: Rank C.

Slot #2: Free.

Slot #3: Free.

[Spirit Talents]

Cat’s Divine Sense: Rank S.

The Giant’s Hand: Rank F.

-

[]

Zaid carefully examined the entire window and confirmed that it was unchanged. His other Talents were in rotation, and he could activate them at any time. However, he needed to level up to reduce the cooldown.

Next, he checked his fragments.

[Scavenger Fragments: 26/100.]

’Good. Now my question is, when the loop ends, will I reset all the progress I’ve made?’ he wondered.

It was a good question that he’d forgotten to ask the Serpent.

’I’ll have to find out. It would be a shame if that were the case. To spend my own life maintaining this and not even keep the progress going...’ Zaid shook his head, hoping that wasn’t the case.

Finally, he looked at the Talent Shop.

There was something important he needed to see.

| Soul Talent – SSS Rank – "Orchestrator of Events."

| "Orchestrator of Events": This is Zayn Zachary’s Hidden Talent.

| Concept: Destiny.

| Effect: You can intertwine the fate of someone or something with other things and people to create a new fate or bring about new events.

| Cost: 1,000,000,000 ME.

[]

Gulp! Zaid swallowed hard. Just the effect he could see right now was amazing enough to be scary.

’It’s totally worth the cost, even though I might never be able to afford it.’ Zaid shook his head. How difficult his life would be from now on.

He looked at his father’s Talent again, because it must have changed as well.

| Soul Talent – Rank S – "Monarch of Devastation."

| "Monarch of Devastation": This is Roger Zachary’s primary Talent.

| Concept: Devastation.

| Effect: You can destroy, raze, or reduce entire environments to ruins by changing the state of matter to "Decay" at an accelerated rate. Killing beasts or enemies with your Devastation permanently increases your physical and elemental damage by 0.5%, which lasts until you enter a state of rest.

| Cost: 1,000,000 ME.

[]

Even though he had expected something like this, it still surprised him. The Event Orchestrator had ensured that even regarding something he wasn’t familiar with—like the Talent System—the full information wasn’t displayed to him.

’Come to think of it, I suppose the full information on the Event Orchestrator isn’t displayed either,’ he thought, since after looking at other Rank A Talents, they had more detailed explanations, just like his father’s Rank S Talent.

Clearly, something was interfering there.

’I can still handle this.’ He clenched his fists.

He walked toward the guild without looking to the sides, with Valia on his shoulder and a mask covering his face.

As he entered the guild, many people immediately turned to look at him.

"It’s Gio, the Faceless One!" exclaimed someone who seemed to have been waiting for him, since it took less than 30 seconds to recognize him.

With that first shout, more shouts came from all around.

"It really is the Faceless One... Everyone has been looking for him ever since he was the only one to return to the city from that mission, but no one had found him. He finally came..."

"Even Lord Lodrey was looking for him. I wonder what happened?"

The chattering crowd created a strange pressure on Zaid’s shoulders.

It wasn’t the kind of pressure you feel when someone’s physical strength is bearing down on you; it was a pressure that made his skin crawl.

It was... fame.

For the first time, Zaid felt the addictive thrill of fame. Because no one around him looked down on him as trash. Some considered him a legendary mercenary. Others saw him as someone with secrets...

No sooner had he walked in and thought about heading to the front desk to finally turn in the mission and report back than a receptionist rushed toward him.

"M-Mr. Gio, it’s good to see you..." he said, and forgot everything he’d planned to say.

Zaid waited a few seconds before greeting him. "I’m sorry I’m late... When I got back, I was in terrible shape, and I had to undergo expensive treatments to recover." Zaid wasn’t lying.

The receptionist nodded quickly. "Mr. Gio, Lord Azrik, Lord Lodrey, and Mr. Frank are waiting for you. They told me to take you to meet with them as soon as you got back. Would you like to go right now, or do you have something else to do?"

’Lord Azrik, too?’ He was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom and his father’s direct rival...

"I’ll go right away," Zaid replied.

In any case, that was the only place where he could hand over the mission.

Zaid was led to the top floor of the Guild.

The clerk knocked on the door.

"Gentlemen, Mr. Gio is here. I’ve brought him just as you requested."

It took a second for the door to open.

Lodrey and Frank rushed out. "You’re alive, kid." Lodrey was surprised to see him in one piece.

Frank, for his part, had hoped to see Finn with him. But his spirits sank dramatically when he didn’t see him.

They were allowed to enter.

Zaid stopped in front of Azrik, Lodrey, and Frank.

"Greetings, Lord Azrik. Lord Lodrey. Mr. Frank."

Azrik smiled. "I’ve heard of you. But first, catch up with your friends."

Zaid nodded.

"Finn... he’s probably dead." Zaid didn’t want to sugarcoat things and got straight to the point. "Mr. Khan, too... And Martin..."

It was hard to say any more than that, but he lowered his head. "They’re probably all dead."

"Highly talented Platinum-Rankers. Veteran Adamantium-Rankers and a B-Rank Diamond-Ranker, one of our most outstanding men... All dead?" Lodrey asked.

Zaid sighed. "I can’t say for sure because I didn’t see it myself. But it’s likely."

"How did they die?" Frank asked.

Zaid shook his head. "I don’t know. I didn’t see it myself. Has the church said anything?" he asked.

"They were overrun by very powerful beasts. There’s a legend around here that says people saw S-Ranks. fighting," Lodrey said.

Zaid stared at them, but his mind was racing with too many thoughts.

Should he reveal what he knew about the Church and declare war on it? Would that work?

’I’m not facing a powerful guy, but a guy capable of changing history and influencing people’s thoughts,’ he thought.

He had to be careful about the information he shared. He felt a headache coming on for not having thought this through on his way here.

Should he say what he knew and risk Zayn influencing their beliefs and having them kill him?

What’s more... that feeling of being seen through many eyes at once is something he’ll never forget.

Although he can’t confirm that any of these three are Zayn’s puppets, there were indeed people in the guild who were.

’Damn bastard...’ Zaid had to make a decision.