55 Guidelines

As a silence stretched on in the room after the Official uttered those words, Aaron took a moment to take a deep breath and assess everything he had heard.

He had always known that information was paramount, in any battle, and that a weaker Tera lying completely hidden was much more dangerous than a much stronger one that was out in the open.

Zealots. Although he didn't even know the proper meaning of the word, he didn't like the sound of it, and finding out that they wanted to kill him made him wish that he could go kill them first.

Sometimes, he knew that that was the best decision that could be taken. When there were irreconcilable enemies, and this group seemed to be so, because they had set out to kill all those like him, it was best to go after them proactively and pull them out by their roots.

Rather than being backed up against a wall and having to break out, Aaron much preferred not being surrounded and cornered in the first place, itself.

However, his wishes were grand, but his power was still too weak.

Yet, there was hope. He told this to himself while stroking the spot on his hand where the Core that had absorbed Woof was present, and he even heard Woof bark softly in his mind, as if the Tera had felt his emotions, and was reassuring him in this manner.

As they watched him, both the Official and the old man soon got smiles on their faces, and the former even leaned over to the latter and whispered, "Every time I see how a Survivor is different, it amazes. Give the same news to someone who has grown up safe and protected, and they will panic and grow scared. Maybe one in a hundred would be able to react calmly, but that's it. This is why that other Monarch in the World Government keeps pushing the law that all children should be thrown out to survive at a certain age after arming them with some skills. It's harsh, but he says it's necessary if humanity wants to keep beating back the hordes. After the apocalypse, it was do or die, but now, it is not so for the youngsters, and that's dangerous."

Looking up after he gave this long speech, Gildart saw that Aaron was looking at him inquisitively.

Coughing, he said, "Err…you're not supposed to know that. Please don't tell anyone about it."

Aaron raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

So this guy really was really absent-minded, after all.

Chuckling as he saw the sheepish expression on Gildart's face, the old man said, "If the news does spread, it won't be the first time you'll be getting in trouble because of your tongue, and I warrant that it won't be the last, either. Anyway, get the Orientation over with. Anissa is definitely waiting, and I don't want more vases to break…"

Nodding, the Official quickly spoke up as if he really wanted to put this matter behind him.

"Right. You can see the rest of the information in the booklet, but that is mostly regarding the perks you will have, as the World Government has decided to…say, invest in the general potential of Survivors. This includes a higher monthly salary as long as you keep logging battles and updates of your Path, access to special auctions, privileged access to higher tier benefits, etc, etc. Some will also slowly be revealed as you grow stronger, so you can look forward to that. See, the World Government wants the same thing as you: for you to grow stronger, and stand with humanity. For that, it is prepared to help you so much. Now, let me get to the main part, which is general advice to prevent Survivors from dying early, which is something that happens more than you can think."

Aaron couldn't help but feel surprised as he heard the last part, as his understanding was that Survivors were like him, who wouldn't get into situations that would get them killed. However, as Gildart continued, this surprise turned into outright shock and disbelief.

"Don't believe me? Think about this. What would you do if you were lynched by an entire Hamlet after beating the Hamlet Chief? This has happened more than once, as the Hamlet Chiefs get bitter and jealous, and they have the entire Hamlet at their beck and call. They're human, after all. To prevent this, the World Government has implemented the harsh rule that any settlement that behaves like this will be sealed and thoroughly checked to find the guilty parties, who will then be executed if enough cause is found. This was necessary to dissuade others, as things like these hamper progress. The results speak for themselves. Right after 78 individuals were executed for the crime of killing three Ascenders and robbing them of their Teras and valuables, such incidents have gone down to 0."

Such a thing was also possible?

Aaron imagined it. What could he have done if the entirety of Skystead Hamlet had attacked him? He might have been able to run, but there would have been a real possibility of him dying.

Taking a deep breath, he listened with full focus to what the official had to say.

"The Path of the talented is often treacherous, as my mentor likes to say. This is because it is as if the world, itself, does not want to see talent shine. It wants it to be crushed, never to show its splendor. Unconsciously, even humans enable this, because of emotions such as scorn and fear- fear for hollow things such as prestige and ego. Hence, even if the World Government will try its best, it advises all Survivors to follow these guidelines:

"First, the real power of Survivors should always be hidden. One should always have a hidden power that they can use to surprise foes, and this is always vital for survival. For this purpose, all A.A's of Survivors, after being recognized, will not sync their actual data such as regarding potential and their Tera's power to the Central Hub.

"Second, Survivors should behave with caution, but if they must strike, then it must be swift and decisive. Showing the Ascender card of a Survivor will allow them to have special status in the eyes of law enforcement, and fast-track courts will be assigned where there will be more focus on the Survivor's story. If this is found to be misused, though, it will instantly be taken away.

"Finally, Survivors…are advised to find those they can trust. As you know, trust is something that comes with much difficulty for such individuals, but being a loner has been found to lead to…well, death. Statistics directly say that Survivors who manage to find friends on their journey reach farther and live for longer, while those who go it alone have a higher chance of dying sooner. On the flip side, such Survivors also reach higher peaks, but the chance is too low.

"That's it. From the World Government, I pass to you this message: Good luck. Now, let's go see a little girl beat her grandfather."