Chapter 821: Beyond Strong
The warrior from the Wu Club Clan looked at the man, who was dressed in a cook’s outfit- mainly a white sheet of cloth with a number of stains on it–but Zon’s outfit had something a little different: the Head Chef bandana that was tied around his head, white in color as well.
“Head Chef Zon!” one of the cooks shouted. “What are you doing? Get back here!”
“You can’t go up against them,” another shouted. “They’re warriors! We need to make a formal complaint to the Academy.”
In a normal case, one could make a complaint to the mayor, who would work with the citizens, and that was how citizens could lodge a complaint, but the academy was a special case since it wasn’t a normal city and was one of the pieces of territory actually owned by the Factions rather than the kingdoms.
“But… was he supposed to just let Rane get hit like that? I wanted to go forward myself, but I was too scared,” another worker said.
Some of them were relieved when they saw Zon catch the club, but the real question was, what was going to happen now? Now, Zon and Rane were both most likely to get hurt.
“A mere chef is holding my club? You should get your dirty hands off it!” The man pulled the club away from Zon and was ready to swing it again as he lifted it in the air above his head.
The moment Rane saw this, he squinted and panicked.
‘No, he’s the only one who can create the perfect recipe-no matter what, he has to survive!’ However, the swing was too fast for Rane to do anything. When the club was swung down, a large amount of wind and Qi hit the floor, and Zon was standing to the side.
“What the-“The man then continued to swing his club through the air, but Zon was moving casually, avoiding each of the swings. One after the other, the warrior was failing to hit his target.
Then, Zon’s back hit the edge of a table. The warrior lunged at him, and Zon once again lifted his hand, grabbing the club and stopping it in its tracks.
‘He stopped my attack again… and he avoided them all before. I didn’t think about it… but now that I am, how is that even possible for a normal person?’
Right then, grasped in Zon’s hand, he tensed up, squeezing the end of the club, and the metal scrunched up like a ball of paper. Zon then pulled it forward and punched the man in the face lightning fast, hitting him squarely and sending him to the floor.
Zon stood there next to the fallen warrior, while the cooks, the customers inside the restaurant, and Rane were all trying to process what had just occurred.
“The boss does not wish to see his restaurant destroyed,” Zon said. “And you all need a lesson so that this never happens again.”
Seeing how their fellow clan member had been hit to the floor, the others started rushing in one after the other, all aiming for Zon, the head chef.
“We have to help him, otherwise he’s going to get killed!” the other chefs said. They wanted to move, but their bodies were shaking. Even against a regular Pagna warrior, they would be unable to do anything, and these were quite skilled ones.
The first person threw their club from above, swinging it down, using all the Qi they had. In response, Zon simply avoided the strike and then burst forward until he reached the man’s chest, giving him a forceful push, hitting one person into another.
He quickly moved to the side, as if he could see an attack coming, and then threw out another fist, hitting the man on the side of the head, right on the temple. The attack was powerful, causing the person’s body to spin.
The chefs, even Rane, didn’t understand what was going on. A person so good at cooking was also good at fighting, avoiding each hit, and knocking out his opponents with a single strike.
‘Crap, the others went too far!’ Skyler thought. ‘But I can’t let my entire clan get humiliated like this, all from one person.’
It was then that Skyler started to rush in from side to side, dragging his club along the floor. The floorboards were being ripped out from the ground as he moved through the restaurant.
He then looked ahead, ready to attack his opponent. He saw the head chef attacking another with a single hit right on the face, blood spewing from their nose as they fell to the floor.
Then suddenly, the man disappeared from his view, and before he knew it, Skyler was no longer able to move. He looked to his arm and saw a hand pushing down on his wrist.
While another hand was gripping his head firmly.
‘I didn’t even see him move… he must be a high-level middle-stage warrior, but how could there be such a person, and I’ve never heard of them before? And he’s a chef of all things. Am I dreaming right now?’
The one thing that Skyler was sure of was that his life was in the hands of this person, and it wouldn’t be clever of him to make any rash moves.
“Your stupid attack ruined the restaurant even further. Didn’t you hear what I said before? You will pay for the damage you have done to this place. I left you alone because you had yet to do any damage,” Zon claimed.
Zon continued to hold Skyler back and then started to look at his facial expression as he noticed something.
“You push as hard as you can.”
“Huh?” Skyler said, confused by the order.
“Push the club in your hand as hard as you can use what you’ve got.”
Not quite understanding the situation but fully under this man’s control, Skyler decided to push the club, but it didn’t move a single inch, showing the clear superior strength between the two.
It was then that Zon turned to Rane, who was still in disbelief at everything that was
happening.
“You are looking for more people who can create the perfect noodles for this shop, right?” Rane slowly nodded, wondering why at a time like this Zon was asking about noodles. “Then allow me to hire the perfect team. You, come work in this noodle shop,” Zon asked. Inside the academy, there was a large, empty hall with special hardened walls. It was made from a tree located in another dimension. The tree had portions that made it one of the strongest materials known in the Pagna world, at least for durability.
Unfortunately, its durability made it hard to be made into any type of weapon, and it seemed to reject Qi, which was one of the reasons why it was so durable. So it wasn’t so good for Pagna
warriors to use.
Instead, parts of the trees were used to build structures where dangerous portals currently resided, just in case there was a portal break, and in one room, it was Murkel’s personal
training room.
The inside parts of the walls and floors had already been scuffed in certain areas, most likely due to Murkel’s own training, and in the room, there were two people present.
Standing by the side, there was Dame, watching the center with his arms folded, and in the center of the room was Raze.
“You think you got the hang of it this time?” Dame asked.
“Definitely,” Raze answered. “Thanks to your help.”
In becoming the Dark Faction leader, Raze had obtained a number of different techniques from clans all over the continent, and he had picked those best suited for him and best suited
for his fighting style.
More importantly, Raze wanted to try and combine some of these techniques with his magic
to make them more powerful than ever. Picking Dame along with him, a person he could trust,
he wanted him to guide him.
After all, Raze’s knowledge of Pagna techniques was quite limited.
It was then that Raze started to lift his hands, as he gathered the Qi in his body and gathered his magic. In the reflection of Dame’s eyes, everything could be seen.
A loud, powerful force and several bangs were heard all over the place. It only lasted around thirty seconds or so, and then it came to a stop as Raze was there on the floor.
He was kneeling on one knee, and behind him was mass destruction-the specially made floorboards had been ripped up, and the state of the room looked as if it could never be
repaired again.
As for Raze’s feet, his shoes were no longer there, and a large amount of his skin had been ripped off; they were bleeding.
“You have become really strong, Raze… too strong,” Dame said, just wondering how anyone would be able to deal with him now.
“Raze!” Amir called out, entering the room. He was going to speak, but the state of the room shocked him. He had almost forgotten what he was about to say but then continued to speak. “There is someone who wishes to speak to you, a man named Himmy.”
Chapter 822: A Warning From Alter
A medical bay was located in the academy to treat students as well as other warriors.
From time to time there would be many that experienced some trouble, either students going too far with each other or teachers hurting themselves in battle.
At times the cause of the teachers wounds would be by the students as well.
Currently, inside lying on one of the physician tables a certain special individual, a man that was part of the group Alter, was receiving healing treatment.
First a Pagna physician had used their skills, giving a number of herbs and forcing needles into the skin.
This had brought some energy back to Himmy and colour to his face but the wound on his body was still healing.
After seeing this, a special Hybrid was called. Using a substance from the beast part of their body they had spat a strange gooey substance on the wound.
This had managed to stop the bleeding but the person still was in no state to speak and judging from the sweat running all over their body there was a good chance that they still wouldn’t make it and that’s when Safa had finally been called.
She placed both of her hands over the wound, and started to activate her Light magic. Her hands started to glow slightly and then she could feel a connection on her back, where the spear currently was placed.
‘I don’t know why you came here of all places, maybe you’re here to speak to Raze or try to take him out, but we won’t know with the state you’re in.’
The wound was severe and Himmy had already lost a lot of blood. With Safa having healed a number of people now she had an idea about wounds.
In fact she had even decided to study a few anatomy books as well as work side by side with a few physicians.
Learning the state of the body and how it worked allowed her to direct her healing powers to the right place. Rather than just using her Light magic on an area and hoping it would work, she could pinpoint her magic to heal certain parts.
‘The new Lux Spear, even with it on my back I can feel its power but it almost feels as if it’s too powerful 1. I’m worried if I use its full power it might do more harm than good, I should limit it for now.’
It didn’t take long for not only the wound to look as if it was nonexistent as it was reverting back to the way it was, but Himmy looked almost back to normal.
“Get Raze, hurry!” Safa ordered.
Not only was Raze called to the room but Liam, Dame, Simyon as well as Amir were present as well.
Since some of them were part of Alter and involved in this whole matter.
When entering, Himmy was sitting up on the table, not moving from his position.
“I hope you know I’m here not as a threat?” Himmy said. “Not that I could do anything against all of you here. You know I never thought when I met you, you would be in a position like this. I guess you’re quite the otherworlder to cause a situation like this.”
Raze stayed in front of the others and looked at the blood stained overcoat Himmy wore.
“Who did that to you, was it Alter? I’m guessing they didn’t just send you to speak to me, or to take me down.” Raze asked.
Safa and Simyon turned confused, why would Alter attack one of their own, especially Himmy who wasn’t part of their group at all.
“Man, at a time like this I could really, really do with a smoke. This world has something like it, but it’s just not the same, I want that feeling deep inside you know, even if it’s proven to kill me.” Himmy said, gesturing in the air and breathing out.
“Anyway, you’re right Alter did this to me, and it was after they found out about you.” Himmy explained. “You see, they are wondering why someone like me had you under my command yet knew nothing about you.”
“At first when news of you appearing at the Martial Arts Tournament spread, there seemed to be no issue on the matter.” Himmy explained.
“Right.” Amir added. “If Alter was able to have someone like Raze part of their group it would only increase their influence, I thought they would have wanted to talk to him.”
“Right, that would have been the case.” Himmy answered.
“They would have reached out with some terms and maybe Raze would have gotten a high position. That’s what I thought as well, but then Alter suddenly locked me up”
“They captured me and Charlotte together and started to question and ask what we know about the Dark Magus.”
This had caught the attention of Raze and it confirmed one of his thoughts. There were those in Alter that knew about him.
If anything they wanted to know even more about the Dark Magus, and the only people that would go so far when hearing the name of the Dark Magus would be the Grand Magus.
“It didn’t seem like they believed us that you were just a two star mage and one that was using Pagna warrior skills.” Himmy explained.
“No matter what we said they pushed us and started to torture us with thier magic. Whoever you are, you really seem to be on their radar.”
“In the end, Charlotte was able to use her magic skills to break the two of us out.” “Escaping from Alter is near an impossible task but Charlotte, she’s a clever one especially with her magic. The two of us split up and created a diversion, that’s when I was shot on the way out.”
“With Alter chasing after me, where the fuck could I even go. I couldn’t go to any city, there’s too many of them, so I thought why not head to the place, the reason why I was shot in the first place, maybe if I died I could at least get some peace knowing why I was shot.”
“Where’s Charlotte now?” Raze asked.
Safa made note of all the questions Raze could ask, he had asked about this Charlotte person in of everyone.
“I have no idea, we split up, but as I said she’s a clever one, I think she would have survived somewhere out there. Anyway, thanks for saving me you guys, you all seem to have Pagna powers and magic which is strange to me but it doesn’t matter.”
There were so many questions on Raze’s mind now that Himmy was here even the odd comment he had just made.
He remembered trying to teach Safa magic, and when creating the core, what had occured. If she had learned anything but Light magic then she would have been dead by now. “Since Alter is now after you, I presume it will be easier to get information from your lips. It would be quite handy after all to know what the enemy is doing and the state they are in.” Amir asked interested in his own gain.
“Ha, even though I was a squad captain they didn’t tell me much, there’s a number of ranks
above me. If I was so important I wouldn’t have been in this state to begin with.” Himmy said. “But sure I’ll work with you guys, but I want my own answers as well from him, why is Alter
after you so much.’
It wasn’t just Himmy that was interested, everyone there was curious as well. Because Himmy
didn’t say Raze, he didn’t say the Dark Faction leader.
It stated that they were interested in the Dark Magus.
‘That was a name he spread himself, did he do this on purpose to get Alter’s attention?’ Dame thought. ‘I thought it was just something he chose to try and be a bit catchy and sell his
products.’
“Before that, there is something I need to warn you guys about.” Himmy said. “Consider this
as a gift to prove I’m cooperating with you.”
“An Alter squad will be coming here. They will be here to gather information. After they get what they want then they will do one of two things.”
“They will head back to Alter and report back, or they will choose to go further with their goal, maybe try and capture the Dark Magus.”
“With your new found strength I think that’s unlikely, but whatever you do, don’t get rid of them, don’t let them know you know about them, if you attack them, then we’re all going to
be fucked, Alter will send a Deleter.”
“A Deleter, what’s that?” Safa asked.
“You haven’t been in Alter long enough to know the ins and outs, but the Deleters are the ones sent out to solve all their problems. They have the power to eliminate entire clans if need be.” “Whatever you do, for everyone’s sake, don’t attack the Alter group.”
Chapter 823: Why Are They After You?
Although Himmy’s wounds had been restored, the rest had decided to give him some time to rest before they further questioned him. Giving him food among other things so he could be back in complete shape.
At the same time though, Amir had ordered one of the Bonum Society members to keep guard at the door. Many of the core members had risen and spread throughout the faction including that of the academy.
Although Himmy was part of Alter, he wasn’t from a world with specific powers and only had a strange weapon known as a gun. Still, Amir wouldn’t take any chances underestimating him. “He should be alright in there, right?” Amir asked.
Raze and the others had left the room, and had headed to a tea room stationed around the Zen garden where Safa would regularly come. It had a sliding door that opened out to the garden which was currently open.
Most of the group were sat at the tables including Raze, while Dame and Amir were both standing by other entrances. With their backs against the wall, both of them were keeping their senses sharp about them.
It was clear they were uneasy about the whole situation.
“You placed a guard that you trust to look over him,” Raze commented. “He should be fine, unless Alter is already in the academy itself and is targeting him. As for himself, I doubt that he will try to escape, but if he does then, there is a chance he could find a way out.”
“He said to me once that he was a detective, and he seems to be a smart person.”
“Right Alter, that group that has been brought up a few times in the past,” Dame said. “An organisation of otherworlders and I’m guessing that he’s one as well, but what he said about these Deleters that the group have, do you think it’s true.”
“That the organization has such strong people that they could wipe out entire clans? I mean, wouldn’t we on Pagna, the clans know about it at least. The Demonic Faction certainly don’t know about those capable.”
“Did you guys know about us and our strength?” Amir asked. “Alter has been gathering items, powerful items from other dimensions for years. They have done so with the goal of protecting Pagna, and many of them have joined them thinking this is the case.”
“Because of that, they haven’t exactly been using these items freely, if they did it would go against their goals and people within the organization would question them. But if they hand these items to a few powerful people all under the guise of their goals, then I can see it.”
Raze then decided to add his own thoughts to the conversation as well. “Not just items, there will be powerful individuals like myself kept under wraps in their organization as well. I think it would be wise if we were to follow what Himmy said.
“We need to keep an eye on Alter entering the Faction, if we find out who they are, then it’s best we keep it low. Maybe we can be the ones to start to feed them the information that we want them to know.”
The others agreed and thought it sounded reasonable, including that of Amir, but with everything going on, and with all of those in the room, it was then that Amir decided it was time for him to ask a question that he had been wondering about for a while now.
“Raze… I want to know something, I know why Alter are against the Bonum Society, why they would want to control the Dark Faction, but from his words from before, it sounded like they were after you… and I don’t mean the Dark Faction leader, they were after the one with the name Dark Magus… is there a reason for that, or something that we should know.”
Although Safa and Simyon wanted to tell Amir off for asking such a direct question, the two of them also wanted to know the truth of what was going on. They wanted to know who was the Dark Magus and even more about Raze.
Raze looked at the table for a while, with his index finger he was drawing a circle on the table, thinking about what to say, and then he lifted his head up.
“You have all been kept in the dark long enough, I know the reasons for you doing what you need to do, and we are all working to help each other out, so I guess I should tell you a bit about myself then, but I can only guess why they might be after me.”
“As you all know, I am an otherworlder, from the world Alterian, and in that world I was known as the Dark Magus,” Raze stated. “In that world I had made quite a name for myself, and I also made quite a few enemies.”
“It seems that the head of Alter is also a member of Alterian, I can only guess he may know someone from Alterian that knows me, or has a grudge against me. The name Dark Magus would only be known in our world. Which is why I have come to such a conclusion.”
“Wow.” Liam immediately said. “So someone has that deep of a grudge for you that it’s even transcending worlds.”
“No, it might not be that they have a grudge for me, it’s the fact that I have a grudge against them, and they are afraid that I will do anything I can to get it done.”
For an instant, everyone in the room could feel what gave Raze the drive that he had, to always push forward to get stronger, and if his enemy was part of this strong organization like Alter, then they somewhat understood why he needed to continue to grow and had done the things he had done so far.
“So then, what did you do for them to go after you like that, or what did they do to you?” Liam asked.
“I’m sure it wasn’t Raze,” Simyon said. “I mean, we already know that Alter are secretly the bad guys thanks to Amir. They must have just done whatever they do now, and annoyed Raze, he’s just getting involved in all of this just like he did with the mess at the Pagna academy.” There was a pause when Simyon said that, and then turned to look at Raze. “Right?”
“I said before, due to all of your help and continuing to stay by my side I will tell you what I can, and it’s up to you to decide.” Raze said. “If you were to mention the name Dark Magus to anyone from Alterian, they would instantly know who I was.”
“If my name was mentioned, then fear would strike all of those that heard it, wondering if I would be around the corner. The name I obtained was because I used Dark magic, a magic that is banned in my world.”
“It was a power that I learned, to get rid of those that did me harm, those known as the Grand Magus. I believe they are also involved in all of this mess in Pagna, but I just haven’t connected the dots.”
“I continued using the name the Dark Magus here in Pagna, hoping that it would ignite something and it seems it has. So a link has appeared between the Grand Magus and Alter. Since they are after me, I guess I need to do whatever I can to stop them as well.”
“What did the Grand Magus do to you?” Safa asked.
Raze opened his mouth about to answer but then he stopped. “It appears I’m not ready to relive those moments myself. Maybe when my anger has been quenched slightly I can tell you the full details. But I can tell you all one thing, the man in front of you is not a good person… we are on the same side. None of you have wronged me, so there is no worry though.” Liam started to think of the times he saw Raze have a hint of anger. He was starting to imagine what he might have done in Alterian, but didn’t dare to casually ask further.
“So for now, we should follow Himmy’s warning,” Amir said. “I will ask the society to be on the lookout for any people that don’t fit in.”
“What is there to worry anyway, I’m sure the Deleters’ powers will have been exaggerated,” Liam commented, waving his hand.
“Right, but you have to know that even the past Dark Faction leader was worried about Alter,” Raze added. “Anyway, whatever we do, let’s not attack Alter.”
At that moment, entering into the academy area was a group that had never been at the academy before. They were wearing the regular Pagna clothing, thin and soft on the skin, but the way they were observing the place, it was quite clear they were outsiders.
“So we need to gather as much information as we can right, about this Dark Magus person?”
One of them asked.
“Right, and I think I know the perfect place,” one said, pointing to the sign. “They say that information passes regularly through these types of places, but what a strange name for a place… the Perfect Noodles shop.”
Chapter 824 The Real Dark Magus
In the Light faction, inside one of the many inns in the city, a group sat around a table, having just finished a meal.
There was an odd atmosphere as they drank their drinks, not a single person had said a word even during the meal. While the rest of the place was lively and filled with rowdy customers.
Marcus, the head of the group, lifted his large glass of beer and finished it with a big gulp, wiping away the foam from his mouth. Ile stared at the hanging heads that were in front of him.
“I think I might be starting to prefer Pagna’s beer to what I have back home, although maybe I’m just forgetting the taste, Marcus said. “It has been a long time since then, it would be nice to ask him as well, what he thought.”
However, his comment didn’t get a reply, which bothered him as he looked at the faces of his special squad from Alter. A squad that had been together for over a year now.
“Come on, speak up. What’s going on? You’ve all been sulking for a while now” Marcus asked. “If anyone should be upset, it’s me!”
“A person I’ve considered a friend has been turned into a criminal.
“I have something to ask!” Tanya said, slamming a shot glass onto the table. She had been drinking hard liquor and, along with Marcus, was one of the few who could stomach it.”
“Why didn’t you take the job? It would’ve been a big score for our squad. Instead, now we’re running investigations, and that’s not even the main task of our squad, Tanya asked.
“You really wanted him to take the job?” Shing replied. “When we’re involved in something even Alter doesn’t know about? There’s a big chance we’d end up in the same situation as Himmy and his group If that happened.”
Marcus let out a big sigh, knowing full well his squad was divided by the decision he had made.
As squad leader, he had been assigned a task for him and his group by one of the Programmers in Alter.
They were selected because of the large variation in their group. The task was to head to the Dark Faction and investigate everything they could about the Dark Faction leader, the Dark Magus. There was also an extra note to find out more about how the name “Dark Magus’ came to be given to that particular individual.
The thing was, Marcus and his group had been present at the Martial Arts Tournament.
They had seen Raze, a person they had worked with briefly when transporting him from the Demonic Faction to Himmy for a handover.
That task was done off the books, not an official order from the Programmers. It was something Marcus had done for fellow people from the same world.
So Marcus knew that the person at the event, the Dark Magus, and the member from Alter were all the same person.
He had a good idea why Himmy was now wanted and could play out everything in his head.
Given all the connections, he had decided to decline the job, no matter how well Alter would have treated them afterward or even if their positions were raised.
“Alter is a large group, and they’ve already sent in Kelp’s team for the job anyway. I think, with what might happen, it suits them more, Marcus added.
“Kelp’s team?” the young warrior asked. ‘Aren’t they a bit extreme with their methods?”
“Right” Marcus answered. “Like us, rather than being an investigation team, they’re more of a team used to completing tasks with their own hands, which makes me nervous!
“And if anything, the reason I declined this job is because of him. So, if you want to know why, he can tell you what he told me.”
Marcus pointed toward Barlan, the mage of the group.
Not just any mage, but Barlan had been part of the Glory Guild in Alterian before joining Pagna and becoming a member of Alter.
The other members of the squad turned to Barlan, waiting for his answer.
“Come on, spit it out!” Tanya said. “What’s so bad about this job? We didn’t have to take out the kid… we just needed to learn more about him.”
Before Barlan spoke, he took a big gulp.
“None of you understand,” Barlan said. “Because none of you are from Alterian. If you were, no one would take this job.”
“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but judging by how Alter is acting, they’re being cautious too. If that kid we met is really the Dark Magus from Alterian, then we should stay as far away from him and his group as possible!
“What the heck?” Tanya said, downing another shot without flinching. “You’re making him sound like the boogeyman. Sure, the kid was strong enough to go up against all of us, but we were going easy on him. And the way you’re shaking right now, it’s almost like he’s some type of god.:
“The Dark Magus is a nine-star mage who can use Dark Magic,” Barlan blurted out in fear. “The skills he used back then… now it’s starting to make sense to me!
“That kind of power is enough to take out an entire faction by himself, and the fact he managed to take over the Dark Faction is proof of that!
“If we want to live, we should all stay as far away as possible from the Dark Magus and anything related to him!
The teasing from Tanya stopped, and no one else wanted to say more. They could see Barlan wasn’t joking and was clearly startled.
However, there was more to it. When Barlan had met Raze and saw him saving all those people of Pagna, his actions didn’t match the image of the Dark Magus Barlan had in his head.
“But it might not be him,” Barlan said. “Something doesn’t make sense. The Dark Magus from Alterian is an old man… but the one we met was just a kid. None of this makes sense!”
Chapter 825: The Chef?
“What am I doing right now?” were the words that had come out of Skyler’s mouth as he was carefully stretching out a large piece of dough.
He was doing so carefully while also using his Qi, trying to infuse it into his techniques.
“Add slightly more Qi when you compound the dough up, and refine your control when you stretch it out,” Zon ordered.
“Yes, Chef!” Skyler shouted as he continued with his work.
Skyler was imagining how he had gotten into this situation. Instead of wearing the respectable Clan clothes of the Wu Club Clan, he was wearing a chef’s outfit.
Instead of his Qi being used to train and ascend into a mighty warrior that the heavens would be proud of, he was here making noodles of all things.
Tears wanted to flow from Skyler’s eyes, but knowing fully who was watching him, Skyler continued to work.
“I can’t believe it,” Rane said, standing next to Zon. “You’re not just a good cook and a good fighter, but it looks like you have an eye for selecting talent as well.
“The noodles that Skyler makes are close to yours.”
“Right, but we still don’t have the capacity to fully deal with all of the orders we make,” Zon replied. “Ideally, I’d like the original staff to focus on prep work, and the final details to be done by those like Skyler.”
When Zon saw Skyler’s body, he knew he had a body and Qi perfect for crafting noodles. In fact, that was what was missing.
The power he had with his nano machine body could be replaced by Pagna warriors. But what warriors would curb their ambition to be the strongest and join a noodle shop?
This was why it didn’t seem like a viable option for Zon, that was until he met Skyler during the attack, and came up with the perfect solution. Now, here the two of them were.
With Skyler on the team, Zon was closer to getting his perfect team together to create the perfect noodles.
The Perfect Noodles shop was just as busy as it usually would be, with long queues outside the door and others waiting to come in.
Finally, a man named Kelp, with green flat hair, had been called along with his group of four. In total, the five of them sat at a table and were quick to make their order.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” one of the men asked.
“I’m sure. Information passes through and is even secretly shared in these types of restaurants, and with how busy it is, I’m sure we’ll find something of use. We just need to make some friends,” Kelp said.
Kelp and his group were part of Alter, sent to gather information. There was a reason they had been sent, and it was because they were a special group composed of Pagna warriors.
There were no Otherworlders in their group, but they knew of the existence of Otherworlders. Each of them were strong middle-stage warriors as well, usually working as Wanderers. However, they would make sure to hide their strength in their jobs from time to time.
Due to the squad being selected to go off on missions in different areas, it wasn’t beneficial for them to catch the eye of a high-ranking clan and be recruited.
“Anyway, the rest of you follow my lead,” Kelp said.
After tasting the delicious noodles, Kelp went on to offer free drinks to those at the nearby tables, all to be paid by him.
He stated that they were celebrating a successful mission, and the others kindly accepted the free drinks.
The guests would ask questions about where they were from and how they found themselves there, and Kelp and the others would reply back.
After a few joyous conversations, it was time for Kelp to start going on with the task at hand.
“We ventured over here because we had a job nearby, and we were wondering, do you know what the Dark Magus is like?” Kelp asked.
“The Dark Magus?” the man looked at him with a raised eyebrow, his face a little hot and red from the drink.
“Oh, you mean the Dark Faction leader. Things have been… mostly the same.”
“Yeah!” another one shouted. “We can’t really form an opinion of him because we don’t even see him. Things are the same.”
“I’m just happy there’s a strong leader at the top. It seems to have stopped the Light Faction and the Demonic Faction from doing anything.”
Kelp was unhappy with the answers he got, but he continued to persist, asking in roundabout ways about anything to do with the Dark Magus.
In the end, though, it seemed like the people knew nothing. If anything, what they had learned was that to them, the new leader of the Dark Faction just appeared out of thin air.
Since their lives hadn’t been affected much, they didn’t bother to look into matters.
In the restaurant, there were also a few Pagna warriors present. Most likely teachers from the academy or related to the students inside.
So Kelp went on to question them as well. During the questioning, just like before, there wasn’t much to add.
However, there were other things they found out, like how all of the clans were attacked just before the Dark Magus became the leader of the Faction.
“Really!” Kelp said with his eyes lit up. “Yeah, but it wasn’t by the Dark Faction leader himself. It seemed to be others around him, you know, like those from the Crimson Crane.”
“Are they strong enough to take out entire clans in the Dark Faction?” Kelp replied.
“Who knows,” the man shrugged. “I wasn’t there, but there’s someone you can ask. I believe one of the clans that had been attacked was the Wu Club Clan.”
“Right, and we have a member of that clan here!” another customer said.
“Where?” Kelp asked, ecstatic to follow up with more questions, and then they saw the customers pointing at a chef behind the counter of all places.
