Chương 43: Monique

Monique continued her speech. Her face returned to neutrality as she announced the remaining results.

"Diana earned the second most credits with a grand total of 2380. With an affinity of 93 and her impressive marksmanship, she managed to hunt down three opponents on her own before joining Evel and another individual in their successful hunt." Diana arrived in front of Monique with a confident smirk. Monique took out a small case.

"This case contains contacts which greatly improve your vision of Energy and a person's aura to a certain point. Even for those at the Weaver stage, these contacts could be considered a luxury item, so they will last you a while in your journey. With your existing sharp eyes and quick movement, this item should synergize well." Diana bowed.

"Thank you." As she left the stage, Monique turned to face the silent crowd. The thoughts among the recruits were the same: Which one of them was able to surpass all the rest and achieve such results?

"Finally, the person with the most credits." Before she even announced the name, Bremin took a step forward.

"With 2880 credits, Bremin is by far the highest earner. He managed to kill five people with no difficulty before meeting up with Evel and Diana." She paused.

"With an affinity of 96 and tremendous fighting prowess, he is undoubtedly the strongest recruit in the room." Murmurs spread across the room upon the mention of his affinity. Evel's eyes widened. 96? Is an affinity that high possible? Evel had always known Bremin was an absolute monster, with likely a high affinity, but 96 was simply too ridiculous. Diana and Lucien were tied second to him with an affinity of 93, a full three points lower. I got extremely lucky meeting up with him…

Evel looked at the monster once again. No. Most of the recruits had met Bremin. It was difficult not to spot him with his oppressive aura, but it was only Evel who had approached him and attempted to create a friendship. He alone had the perfect circumstances which led him to make that decision. He had been weak enough to need to rely on stronger allies. Arlo had given him a hint to acquire strong friends. And Evel had been willing to take on a risk. Most people were absolutely terrified of Bremin.

Of course, they were right to be. He was a man capable of mowing down opponents easily and without a second glance. Evel alone had overcome that fear. This time, instead of pulling out something from within the bag, Monique simply placed the bag atop Bremin's hand.

"This is a Lower Enderbag. Only one individual in the world is capable of creating such items, so their price is quite steep. Even among Weavers, the bag is rare. However, for such a historic performance, it's certainly earned." Bremin held her gaze for a few seconds before returning a light nod. Then, he walked back to his original spot by Evel.

"You probably should have thanked her," Evel whispered. Bremin stopped. A long pause. Then, without a word, he turned and walked back across the full length of the stage. Nobody in the room moved, silently watching the incredible talent. Bremin stopped in front of Monique.

"Thank you." He walked back. Evel kept his face very still. Monique, unperturbed, continued.

"The remaining amongst you may be feeling annoyed, or perhaps regretful that you weren't able to earn anything extra. Remember that feeling going forward. Without an unstoppable drive and a life constantly in danger, the Path is inaccessible. You need the killing intent." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Arlo took a step forward.

"Now, I ask the remainder of you to exit out into the hallway. There, you will find which Banner you will spend your future working with. Each Banner has different specialties, and they will be responsible for explaining themselves to you. Do not accept the first offer immediately unless it's made by Regulus themselves." Arlo's aura flared as the double doors violently swung open, revealing the grand hall.

The heads of the representatives moved towards the room, and they retreated from the door, inviting the recruits to make their way over. At first, nobody moved, until finally it was Jack who was the first to leave. After that, a steady stream of recruits constantly left the room.

"H-How?" Evel turned to Brenton, whose mouth and eyes were still agape. Evel couldn't help but be amused.

"Now imagine I had a better affinity." Elena blinked.

"I-it seems I underestimated you… again." What she said was probably not true. He had gotten lucky meeting Bremin and Diana, and wouldn't have achieved such success otherwise. He wasn't on the same level as the others in the top 6, not by a long shot. Yet after his great achievement, he didn't bother to correct her. Evel needed others to constantly overestimate or underestimate him. It was the only way he, with his poor talents, could survive in such a world.

"I'll meet you guys out there. I need to talk to somebody first." With a nod, Elena began walking away, practically dragging Brenton, who was still frozen. Leo excitedly waved goodbye. Evel smiled. It wasn't like he was going to be gone for long. He walked towards the Banner wall where Arlo stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Monique had already left. A pulse of aura came from Arlo as he recreated the same construct he had once on the disk to isolate their conversation.

"Do you know what the symbols engraved on our emblems represent?" Evel frowned. What did this have to do with the vial?

"I've seen a dagger, a hammer, and a wheel amongst those in the hall. The dagger was the most common. I've also seen a book, but Monique has been the only one with that so far." Arlo nodded.

"The dagger, the hammer, the wheel — culture, mostly. The dagger represents a fighter, the hammer a creator, and the wheel utility specialists. People take them seriously, but you can swap whenever you want. Half the utility specialists I know still choose the dagger because they don't like the what the wheel implies about them."

"And the book?"

"The three symbols also represent that you are along the Path and are striving for higher levels." A thick silence enveloped the two.

"She gave up on the Path?"

"Her affinity is 63, hardly better than yours. She simply does not have enough Energy to break through to the fifth stage, and she likely never will." Arlo sighed.

"When she was in the Core stage, she was among the strongest from her skill alone. She had me beat in every category except affinity. As we progressed, the widening gap never closed. She trained and worked herself to the bone in a desperate struggle. She outworked me, and all our peers, but it was hopeless." Arlo gazed out at the double doors where the last few people were leaving.

"With a lower affinity, she couldn't train as often nor as hard, and she slowly got surpassed by all her peers, one by one. Upon reaching Weaver, I was already stronger than her, and now I could beat her at half my top capacity." Evel couldn't find any words. Was it truly hopeless? Would he really be forever weak due to his shitty luck? It was unfair. He worked so hard, made such large strides, and even earned the third most credits of so many others! Was it all truly for nothing? Evel shook his head.

Monique had made it to the fourth stage by sheer hard work. Even with a slightly lower affinity, he should still be able to make it at least there, right? The fourth stage felt high and powerful to now, but he still felt a deep fury that his hard work wouldn't matter. Due to unlucky birth conditions, he was forever capped in his potential.

"That vial in your hand contains a liquid called a Moonlight Drop." Evel's attention immediately went back to the vial.

"It's a rare item usually reserved for those in Weaver or above, unless of course you join Regulus." He explained." It's effect is a little complicated, but essentially it improves your effective affinity. Your true affinity can never change; however, a Moonlight Drop adds another layer on top of your core, effectively increasing your affinity by a third of what's remaining. I shouldn't have to tell you what exactly that entails.

Monique was able to use one of these when she reached her current stage, but by then it was too late. Her foundation was too shallow." Evel couldn't breathe.

"A third of what's remaining?"

"Your affinity is 60, and the theoretical limit is 100. This vial will help you achieve a functional affinity of 73. This affinity, of course, is nothing special and still on the lower end, but it should, at the very least, give you a shot, despite how poor it may be. Of course, you can expect even those with higher affinities to get their hands on these, which will increase the gap once more. By the mid-fourth realm, almost every single person with an affinity below 90 will have saved up to buy one."

"But the benefits wouldn't be as good." His words came out in a whisper. If Bremin used it, he'd only go from a 96 to a 97, which was absurd, but still not as large a help as what Evel gained.

"One of the rare benefits of a low affinity. Unfortunately for you, it's impossible to take more than one."

"Did I really earn something so great?" Evel couldn't believe it. An affinity of 73? It was by no means good, but if he worked hard enough, perhaps he truly had a bright future. At the very least, maybe he had a shot?

"In a way, you did. Your performance was impressive enough to inspire Monique to use some of her own personal wealth to buy you this vial." Arlo sighed.

"I suppose she wants you to live out a possibility she never could…" Evel gulped. Evel's hands closed around the vial. He didn't drink it. He just held it, feeling how light it was for something that would change his future. He hadn't earned this vial at all. It should normally have been inaccessible to him until he reached higher levels, but Monique had given him a shot at a better future. 73… Monique's story had deeply resonated with Evel. That was his future. In the most optimistic case.

At least Monique had been good at fighting before her affinity, but Evel had started even lower. However, now the script was flipped. He had a real shot, and he owed it all to her. The pressure was overwhelming.

"I-I don't know what to say."

"With a true affinity of 60, it's still extremely unlikely you'll succeed. However, now the failure will partially be your own, not just the fault of your poor talents. Take this advice: do not advance stages until your foundation is almost perfect, otherwise all of her work will have been for nothing." With a snap, the isolating environment disappeared. The room was now empty; all the recruits had already left to go join the Banners.

"You are to keep her help hidden until you've chosen a Banner. She does not need to face scrutiny for interfering. Do not disappoint her." Evel bowed as deeply as he could. When he straightened, he uncorked the vial and drank it without a second look. Despite its lack of taste, his mouth still felt bittersweet.