Regina smiled as she watched the security footage again. Ever since that announcement, she had rerouted all footage to come to her before reaching the security guards. That was exactly how she had managed to see the man in front of her murder one of he newer recruits with a single blow. She didn’t need her assistant or patron to understand that anyone who already had the power to take out a Level 10 candidate with a single hit. Was going to be a monster in the coming years. Now she had the opportunity to tame that monster. A smile spread across her face as the man in question took a seat in front of her. Releasing the full power aura skill her patron had given her. It slowly infused the air slowly charming all those within range. She opened her mouth and began to speak to the man destined to be her newest subordinate.

  —----------------------------------------------------------------

  Jay readjusted himself in the armchair a few times, trying to make the seat comfortable but finding that task harder than he would have liked. It was lumpy where he would have liked it to be soft, and soft where he wanted additional support, leading to quite a strange sitting experience.

  “So.”

  He gave up on getting comfortable and looked back at the grinning woman as she began to speak.

  “Let's cut to the heart of this issue.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her fists. “I know you're a candidate, and I want you to join me.”

  Jay nodded, knowing this was coming. He had known this little group had been part of the fight yesterday and that they were likely mostly candidates, which was why he was so open to this meeting. While it did give people who were likely his enemies a chance to strike at him, he was confident in his armor and empowerment to escape this situation if he had to. For now, though, he would use it to his advantage. A conversation went both ways, after all, and he hoped he would be able to find out the fate of Phalanx’s friend with the right questions at the right time.

  Jay leaned back and rubbed his chin like he was thinking it over. “What’s in it for me?”

  “Well, to begin with, I’ll do you the favor of forgetting the little stunt you were attempting, and, as a bonus, you will have unlimited access to the resources at my disposal.”

  Jay cocked an eyebrow at the remark. “Oh? What would those resources be?”

  Despite the woman already grinning manically, her smile only seemed to widen at the question. “Well, to begin with, you will get lodging and assistance in rising through the levels. I’m sure you have already heard this from your assistant, but it’s quite common for people to band together to slingshot each other further than they would get alone.”

  You haven’t said anything about that, Lan… Jay thought with open accusation.

  “Well, first off, I was too busy trying to deal with someone freaking out and running into the woods. Second, all that does is help those who are weak and shackle those who are strong with more proverbial mouths to feed. It’s not a winning strategy unless you're just looking for middling rewards and survival from this Death March, and while some assistants are fine with that, I would rather you die before settling for anything less than the best. I didn’t take this opportunity just to come home with things I could have gotten with a wave of my hand.”

  Jay sent a mental thumbs-up at that. If it were the Jay of a few days ago, just surviving would have been a good prospect. Now, though, he was going to prove that he wasn’t just a waste of space. He would prove that he had the drive and ability to not only survive, but to thrive. The thought of Lan keeping information from him to try to increase her own rewards was concerning, on some level. However, at the end of the day, if they had a common goal, he would let her do what she thought was best. He paused for a moment as he turned back to the woman, and, despite affirming his position, he felt a small tug at the back of his mind telling him to accept the generous offer. He frowned internally, happy for once about the chip keeping the same expression from reaching his face.

  “And what would I have to do in return?” he asked.

  The woman grinned wider like she had just signed the biggest deal of her career. “Oh, nothing too crazy. Just pull your weight around here. I know you must have heard some strange tale to bring you here, but I promise every one of our recruits joined willingly after seeing their chance at a better life.”

  That strange voice seemed to grow louder, but he at least found it easy to ignore--especially after realizing that it wasn’t a natural thought or action he would take. He had plenty of experience with that, after all. Still, the thoughts were annoying him, and he was far too impatient to continue this farce. “Like the one you started yesterday?”

  Regina frowned and cocked an eyebrow. “You knew about that and still decided to break in here?” Her smile returned. “Quite the ballsy one, aren't you? I like that.”

  Jay shrugged. “I would say you're the brave one, with that mental skill of yours. Is that how you got all these people under your thumb so quickly? Have a kid you brainwashed go out and lure more people in? Press them with a fake offer while some mental manipulation erodes their will to resist?”

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  The woman's happy expression finally lapsed, and her lip curled into a snarl. “I don’t think you know what you are saying or who you are saying it to. Now, why don't you tell me who you are and what the hell you're doing here?”

  She motioned to the man who had been staring at Jay with an annoyed expression since he had entered the room. The man pulled up his shirt and placed a hand on a submachine gun tucked into his pants.

  “So, I take it you are done trying to recruit me?” Jay asked.

  Regina cocked her head. “It seems you aren't open to my proposal, so unless I can convince you to change your mind…”

  Another wave of foreign influence hit Jay, but it was still easy for him to ignore. “Nope.”

  He sprang into action as he finished his sentence, checking his Spirit and finding it slightly below 500. He needed to finish this quickly. With that in mind, he drew his revolver and dagger, driving the bladed weapon through the man’s neck before he could even think about reacting.

  **Skill level increased: Basic Spirit Empowerment 7 - 8**

  **Skill level increased: Basic Blade Combat 0 - 1**

  With a flick of his wrist, he finished his surprise attack, cleanly severing the man’s jugular. He fell to the floor, clutching at his neck while blood burbled out of the wound. Jay leveled his gun at where Regina was sitting, but the woman had already vacated her position and was now using her desk as cover.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she screamed.

  Keeping his gun trained on the desk, he leveled his dagger at the man who was still playing a game without a single care for the situation unfolding in the room.

  “Val, I swear to God, if you don’t deal with this mother fucker, I’m cutting you off from charging that device of yours!” Regina roared from her hiding spot.

  The man let out a long groan and placed his device on the chair beside him before turning to Jay, snapping his fingers. The world spun, and Jay suddenly found himself pointing his gun at a brick wall. He looked left and right as he searched for the man or Regina, but he found neither and was surprised by the fact that he was now outside.

  Lan, what the fuck is going on?

  “What? Did you not enjoy your first teleportation experience?”

  His eyes went wide. What?

  “You heard me.”

  Well, yeah, I heard you, but how the hell can he do that? And why the hell did he do that?

  “He probably picked Mage or Channeler for his class, both of which could grant him a simple teleportation spell. As for the why, fuck if I know. You’ve got to remember, while I am technically a mind reader, that ability is sadly limited to you.”

  Jay rubbed his chin, thinking about the situation while sending a snarky response to Lan. What, is my mind not good enough for you?

  “Yes,” she responded in a deadpan manner.

  He couldn’t help but let out a laugh at that, but it quickly died as he noticed a sticky note attached to his chest. Cocking an eyebrow and wondering where the item had come from, he peeled it off and read a few quickly-scribbled lines.

  “This is your one and only warning. Leave. ‘Cause I fucking swear, if you come back and threaten the good thing I have going again, so help me, I will make sure your every waking moment is spent in pure agony. First…”

  The note kept going, but the handwriting got so small and sloppy that he couldn’t make sense of it.

  “So… can you give up on this and follow our actual plan?”

  What would be my chances if I went back in there?

  “With how easily you were teleported away, close to zero.”

  Jay nodded at that. He didn’t know the man’s limits or powers fully, but the fact that he could already do something that was impossible to even conceive of just days before was frightening.

  What about Phalanx?

  “Leave him.”

  But--

  “Jay, in the unlikely case he wasn’t working for that woman, it still wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  He sighed and scratched the back of his head. Yeah, I know.

  He still felt bad for the kid, but he also understood there was nothing he could do for him, no matter what his real situation was. He would have preferred to help, but it just wasn’t in his power to do so. He clenched his fist tightly. Just another reason I need to get stronger.

  Several hours passed by as he slowly honed his breaking and entering skills by robbing different stores that were currently vacant. He spent time learning the common places for cameras and how he could avoid them. Lan had helped with that part, offering him another guide which walked him through using his Spirit to obscure himself. It wasn’t perfect, and if someone was watching closely, they would still see the ripples he left behind as he moved.

  In total, he gained over 16 levels between new and old skills, bringing him to Level 9. He rose 4 levels in his new Spirit Obscuration, 7 in Stealth--making it his first skill to reach double digits--2 in Lock Picking, and finally, 3 in Misdirection. He had gained that last skill after finding a few of the more high-end stores still guarded. Initially, he had considered leaving, but Lan convinced him to use it as an opportunity. After setting up a few distractions, he was happy he did.

  With darkness setting in and drowsiness creeping up on him. He decided to call it quits for the day and went to find a place to cook, eat, and then rest. With Lan spurring him on, he finally sighed as he resigned himself to going back to his apartment. To his surprise, when he arrived, the place was still as perfect as he had left it. His eyes went wide at the realization. He had killed someone so wealthy, and no one had even bothered to search for him. It wasn’t even like it would have been a hard thing to figure out. His mood grew worse as he thought about the little girl who had survived the crash.

  “I'm sure she is fine,” he whispered to himself, hoping it was true.

  He locked the door and moved a dresser in front of it just in case. For a few hours, he relaxed and made himself some food before drifting to sleep.