Chapter 20: A Rare Case 1

"How did you pull that off?"

"The what exactly?"

"The move you did to finish off the grassland frog. How did you pull that off?"

The green-haired person named Gurim asked. This made Allen Stryka think on how would he answer the question.

They were currently dragging the corpse of the mutated frog. They were each grabbing the rear legs of the hunted beast. This was the method they thought best to transport the body as fast as possible.

The time was probably around seven-thirty in the evening. The two were running as fast as they could to reach the city gate. They roughly have thirty minutes left before they would be forced to spend the night outside.

That was when Gurim decided to ask a question amidst his panting. He was probably just trying to break the silence around them. Although it was quite difficult to do while they were both running.

Allen appreciated the idea though. Some people do recite chants loudly whenever they jog or march for long distances. This was actually done to make them forget about the exhaustion from the activity. The young man thought deeply for a few seconds. He then answered,

"I made it then and there. I thought it was pretty genius actually."

The young could not help but pat himself in the back. He was honestly surprised that he was able pull such a feat in the midst of the battle. To a certain extent, he was hoping that the person beside him would praise him as well.

However,

"Pfft, lies."

"Huh?"

Gurim laughed at him though. This had dumbfounded Allen. He almost dropped the frog leg that he was dragging. Fortunately he was able to get a hold of himself. He continued his running albeit the slight stumble.

The green-haired person seemed to have noticed this though. He looked amused with what he saw. He then smiled wryly,

"Look, if you don't want to talk about where you learned Skill Combination then its fine by me."

"…"

"…"

"So other people could pull off such a move too, huh."

"Haha, there's no use acting dumb, you know?"

But I probably am.

Was what Allen would have wanted to say. But he chose not to. The green-haired person would not believe him anyway. There was no point in trying to convince such a guy. What was important was that he learned a new information.

Skill Combination.

This was probably a collaborative technique that allows two, or maybe even more, ability-users to combine their elements. This would result to a new move that was greater than the sum of its parts. There might even be more conditions needed in order to execute this attack. But the gist was most likely correct.

Allen was actually planning on naming the move as something like 'Team Art' or 'Group Move'. But he had to admit that the existing name sounded better. There was a slight pang of disappointment in his heart though. Guess he was not that much a genius after all.

Nonetheless the young man felt pride more than anything else. This was further proof that humanity was in continuous search of methods to strengthen themselves. This meant that there were people out there that were still fighting back amidst the apocalypse.

However, his contemplation was interrupted when Gurim spoke. He asked,

"Hey, which Sect do you actually belong to?"

"What is that?"

"Haha, very funny."

Allen did not receive a proper answer when he returned the question. But he could make a guess of what the green-haired was talking about. He had read a lot of novels before the apocalypse after all.

A Sect was probably an organization that had assembled powerful ability-users across the land. There were most likely disciples there who were being trained. Their main aim was to preserve the arts that the organization had gathered or something. It was highly possible as well that it had a prevailing hierarchy to classify those who are talented and those who were not.

The words of Gurim would also imply that there was an existing Sect in Nosales. That was perhaps the reason why ability-users were exempted from the entrance toll. That would also give someone an idea of the power structure within the city.

To be honest, Allen thought that such an organization was quite a hassle. It was probably a system that promoted an elitist attitude. An unhealthy environment where the privileged were the only ones that mattered. But this was just his opinion though. He never joined a Sect before after all.

A few moments of silence passed. The two were still running as fast as they could while dragging their hunt. The outline of the city was finally on sight.

This time around, Allen was the one to ask a question.

"What is the difference between a Tier 1 and a Tier 2?"

This was quite a valid assumption. The green-haired person mentioned about a Tier system where there was a Tier 1 and a Tier 0. Logic would dictate that there were tiers above that. Probably.

"Come on now, use your brain a little. "

This time, Gurim was the one who had almost dropped the frog leg he was dragging. This also made him click his tongue. He seemed annoyed by the question for some reason. Nonetheless he decided to elaborate his answer. He continued,

"You can feel the difference between a Tier 0 and a Tier 1, right? Just project that discrepancy for the Tier above us."

"Huh…"

Gurim sighed when he heard the unenthusiastic reply. He clicked his tongue once again. In the end, he decided to give more details. He explained,

"Tier 2s will possess enhanced physical attributes. This frog that we are dragging? It will be nothing in front of them."

Allen could not help but glance at the mutated frog that they were pulling. They might have defeated the beast. But he could image that someone could settle that battle in one hit. He then shuddered in the idea of facing that kind of person.

Gurim nodded when he saw the expression of the young man. He seemed to be convinced that he had made his point. Nonetheless he gave another detail. He added,

"I also heard of rumors that a Tier 2 would be able to develop a second skill."

This information had made Allen drop what he was holding for real. Fortunately, they had finally reached the city gate. Thus when he stopped running, it did not look too suspicious. Probably.

Gurim seemed to have not noticed this as he stopped as well. He dropped the leg that he was holding and signaled the city guard. He requested that they were allowed entry.

The strict city guard had scolded the two for almost violating the curfew hours. But since he knew who Gurim was, he had allowed them to enter the gate. The guard also talked to the green-haired person about something.

However Allen did not pay attention to whatever they were talking about. He was still shaken with revelation he received. His thoughts raced quickly.

A second skill!

Allen was surprised when he heard this. Did this mean that he was already a Tier 2 ability-user?

Probably not.

With his [Life Detection] skill, he could estimate that his power-level was around the same as that of Gurim's. This was based on the soul energy they possess anyway. Not unless the green-haired person in front of him was actually a Tier 2, the possibility that he was on a higher realm was unlikely.

He was probably a rare case. Someone who had developed a second skill through trials and tribulation despite still being at Tier 1.

But if that was indeed the situation, then that was more of a reason to be wary of his surroundings. The last thing he wanted to happen was to attract any unwanted attention. He was not planning on staying in this city permanently anyway.

He considered himself as only a passer-by in this place. His aim was moving beyond the province after all. The last thing he sought was to cause any trouble. Especially now that he was aware that there were people who was at a higher realm than him at the moment.

His thoughts were interrupted when Gurim called him out repeatedly. The green-haired person tried once again. He shouted,

"Hey!"

"Huh? What?"

Gurim raised an eyebrow when he observed the startled young man. He clicked his tongue once more. And another one to calm his annoyance. He then sighed,

"I said you leave the frog corpse right there. I'll handle its transport with the guards here. Just go back to the lodging unit from before."

"Oh, okay."

"Are you alright?"

The green-haired person narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be suspecting the young man of something. The latter decided to shake off the inquiring eyes. He answered quickly,

"Yes, of course."

"Do you remember the way back to the lodging unit?"

"Yes."

Allen replied immediately. He did not want to bother the green-haired person any further. And besides, he did want to excuse himself as fast as possible. He had to sort out his mind after all.

But on second thought, perhaps he was being too hasty here. That would just make the person in front of him grow suspicious. The young man surveyed his surroundings. The city during the evening looked different than it was during the morning. There was no way a newly arrived traveler would find his bearings here.

Allen smiled wryly. He admitted,

"Actually no."

Gurim rolled his eyes upon hearing the confession. He ordered one of the city guards to guide the way. The man in military uniform complied readily.

The young man was grateful for the gesture. He bowed on the assigned guard. But then he remembered another issue that was bothering him. He called out,

"Hey, Gurim."

"Yes?"

"How far can you increase in Tiers?"

"Dunno. But the highest I have seen so far are in Tier 3. And they were plenty strong."

Fortunately the green-haired person was still willing to answer. Although he sighed again when he heard the question. Allen decided to inquire further though.

"How strong is that exactly?"

"They can easily cause a disaster into this city."

"?!"

The young man was shocked with the answer he received. On the other hand, the city guards seemed to have whimpered upon hearing it. Allen could also swear that even the strict city guard was shaken by those words.