Damian

Getting up, Stell rushed to the lower floors. He didn't even explain what he wanted to do, leaving Felix all alone in the room.

"What's with that fellow? Did they serve him bad food?" Felix grumbled.

Meanwhile, Stell didn't wait for a lift and descended the stairs. Quickly, he was once again inside the games room. There, he saw Aaron entering through the games door with a confused expression.

"Hey! How did you lose?" Stell asked the moment he spotted him.

Aaron only looked at him before turning his gaze away. "I'll win next time." His determination felt weak to Stell, as if he started doubting his prowess. Or, in Aaron's case, his cheat.

'He really does have a system. No other cheat would make the person so weak but confident in the start.' Stell didn't believe that Aaron was a reincarnator, regressor, or whatever other cheats there were.

It was because Aaron had an air of youthful arrogance, not an air of confidence. Stell was sure that, in time, Aaron would become a real powerhouse, but for now, he was just a weakling with a cheat.

Stell entered the games door, giving up on getting any information from Aaron.

After entering, he addressed his system. "Can you pay an achievement here?"

[ An achievement can be traded inside the White Room. ]

The system simply and precisely answered.

"Open an online bank account and deposit five Low-Tier Common achievements." Stell ordered.

[ Deposited. ]

It didn't even take a second for the system to deposit his achievements. It made Stell realize that the system and the White Room could access his achievements. Granted, he had to give permission, but who was to say that they couldn't do it without his permission?

With a slight shiver, Stell decided to abandon that train of thought. No one would care about his measly achievements. For now.

Then, his voice resonated in the White Room.

"Send a friend request to 'TheM0nkeyKing's_Student'."

***

A thin person with dark brown hair and a brown robe appeared in White Room with a greatsword on his back. Although that sight looked comical, it also gave off a formidable air to the person.

"It's hard to have a greatsword when you are still under First Order." The person sighed. Although having a greatsword on the back looked formidable, it also came with many problems under the First Order.

"System, show me my current rank and the reward."

[ Current rank: Bronze I ]

[ Low-Tier Epic Rank achievement. ]

[ Level 1 clearance question. ]

[ Level 1 clearance question. ]

"Well, those questions are useless. No, maybe... Yeah. System, I wish to trade two level 1 clearance questions for a notification when the shop number..."

After ordering his system, the person received a new notification.

"It's already in stock?" He was puzzled as he opened the notification.

[ Lazy_Stellar wishes to become your friend. ]

"Who's that? A guild scout? Don't tell me someone chanced upon the game before I locked it up." The person almost facepalmed. He quickly locked the game.

After accepting the friend request, another notification came.

[ Lazy_Stellar wishes to enter your White Room. ]

After the person accepted, Stell appeared in his room.

"Hello, Monkey King." Stell greeted.

"Hello, Stellar." Monkey King's student awaited Stell to state his purpose.

"I chanced upon your game by accident." Stell started, but before he could finish, Monkey King's student interjected.

"I don't wish to join any guild." He firmly rejected any future proposals.

With a wry smile, Stell continued. "Let me finish. I don't want to invite you to any guild. I am also a new exile." Monkey King's student's guard dropped noticeably.

"I just wanted to greet you. My real name is Stell, and I know Shadow... Whatever his name was. Your opponent. I guess he gave you a fair bit of trouble, right?"

"I am Damian." Damian introduced himself. "And yes, he did give me a fair bit of trouble." He laughed.

"He's strong. It's unfortunate that I couldn't see the finale." Stell laughed back.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Damian grinned.

"You beat the hell out of him?" Stell grinned back.

Then, as if by an agreement, they started laughing.

"I can see that you aren't half-bad. How about joining me?" Damian wanted to recruit Stell. Stell only shook his head.

"No. Do you want to join me? I also beat him." Stell bluffed. Although he wanted to believe that he was stronger than Aaron, deep down, he knew that he would have never beaten Aaron without Felix.

What was worse was that, in a real fight, Aaron could beat the crap out of him with one hand.

Damian only grinned in response. Stell didn't need to guess that Damian didn't want to join their group. 'Yet.' He didn't want to let go of another incredible person.

'I am weak. I need to make use of other people's cheats. There is no other way. I guess that is also a cheat in a way.' He bitterly chuckled inside himself.

"You have a cheat, right?" Stell asked Damian.

Damian, however, asked a question instead of answering. "Do you have one? What about Shadow?"

"I don't have one." Stell tactically sold Aaron out.

Damian's grin widened. "I kinda have one. Hahah, I knew that guy was an S class." He laughed happily. Beating a crap out of an S class was no easy feat. Especially once they grow.

"Is there a higher class?" Stell asked curiously. Meanwhile, he was thinking about Damian's cheat. 'It's most probably not a system. It could be luck, but it's also unlikely. Felix is probably a unique case. Reincarnator? Regressor? What else is there?'

"There isn't." Damian denied.

"Phew." Stell exhaled, happy that there wasn't an even bigger force out there. Even S classes were nothing to scoff at! Stell was only a B class without Felix, after all.

Sure, classes may not have been determined by their natural talent, but they had to show something at least.

Shaking his head, Stell returned to the present.

"Are you First Order?" Stell asked Damian.

"I am not. It's not easy to enhance your affinity, so I am trying to get everything with an Epic Rank achievement." Damian grinned.

"Oh? What do you say? Is it better to focus on more affinities or on one?" Stell asked the question that plagued his mind for a long while.

"In theory, the more, the better. However, if you ask me, it doesn't matter THAT much. Later on, you will be able to unlock more affinities. Sure, you will have to pay a hefty price, but you will be able to. They are random, though."

"So it does matter." Stell grumbled.

"Kind of. Do note that the weaker the affinity, the weaker your talent." Damian's smile made Stell grumble.

"Which one are you going to do? Enhance one or get as many as possible?" Stell asked Damian, curious about a knowledgeable S-class person's opinion.

"Both. I'll take what I deem necessary. Too many would slow down my ascension, while too little is also bad." Damian casually gave out so much important information that Stell started getting suspicious.

'Why is he so casual? Why is he giving me so much important information?' Stell contemplated.

Noticing his suspicious look, Damian laughed. "I like you, kid. I feel like you might become something. Don't look at me so suspiciously."

Stell's guard noticeably dropped, but that didn't mean that he wasn't wary of Damian. Taking the opportunity, he asked questions he was curious about.

"If an Epic Rank Wish is used for an Epic Rank affinity, will the affinity be as weak as if a Common Rank wish was used for a Common Rank affinity, or will it be stronger?"

"Weak." Damian's answer stumped Stell. "So is it worth it going for the stronger affinities?"

"Once a person reaches a Second Order with his affinity, the other affinities will be much easier to cultivate." Damian meaningfully explained.

"I see." Stell nodded, already thinking of his future. He decided to gamble in another game with Felix and get his first Epic Rank achievement. Of course, he didn't dare to try alone.

After that, he would also get powers and an affinity.

"Thank you." Stell sincerely thanked Damian. His explanations had helped him understand his powers much more deeply. It also helped him in deciding his next course of action.

"No problem. I'll go and hunt for new achievements. The games are boring."

Lost in thought, Stell nodded. As Damian disappeared, Stell realized something.

"Wait! Hunt?"