New World New Rules! (6)

***

Lyra chuckled softly at Seth's panic. "Don't worry, I'll cover your entry fee. Once we're at Tamer HQ, we can request a replacement bracelet and register you as a tamer," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Really? That's possible? Thank goodness, I thought I was going to be detained," Seth replied, visibly relieved.

"You would've been detained if no one vouched for you," Lyra teased. "Alright, it's almost our turn now."

When they reached the gate, the guard looked at them and said, "20 AP, miss."

Lyra handed over her bracelet. "Here you go, sir. I'm also paying for my friend here," she said, motioning to Seth. "He lost his bracelet while exploring."

The guard turned his attention to Seth and sighed heavily. "Youngsters these days so careless. Next time, be more cautious, kid. You could lose your head if you're not careful."

"Yes, sir. Thank you for the advice," Seth responded with an awkward smile.

"Alright, you can go in," the guard said, stepping aside.

As Seth and Lyra entered the fortress, Seth braced himself for the sight of a thriving, high-tech city. But the moment they stepped inside, his anticipation crumbled into disappointment. The area was bleak and uninviting.

"What... is this?" Seth muttered under his breath, scanning his surroundings. To his left, he saw buildings with peeling paint and crumbling facades. "The colors are so dull, and the buildings look ancient." To his right, he noticed people in ragged clothing, wandering aimlessly with expressions of despair. "The people look so lifeless," he thought.

Noticing Seth's disheartened expression, Lyra giggled. "Haha, every fortress has four zones. Right now, we're in Zone A-1. This area is where the homeless and those who've given up on life gather. Most of them are too afraid to face monsters. This is also where tamers test their new skills."

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed through the air.

"See? That's a tamer testing their skills," Lyra said casually. "Come on, let's head to a deeper zone."

Seth began to piece together the social dynamics of this world. "So, the stronger your monsters, the higher your status," he mused internally. "It makes sense, though. In a chaotic world like this, only the strong can protect the weak. But for the people here, like Lyra said, their fear has paralyzed them."

Determined to uncover more of this fortress's secrets, Seth nodded to Lyra. "Alright, let's see what the real heart of this fortress looks like," he said, following her toward the gate separating Zone A-1 from the inner areas.

Seth and Lyra stepped into the next area, and Seth was immediately awestruck by the scene before him. "Now this feels like another world," he muttered in amazement. "Drones flying everywhere, carrying packages; skyscrapers with futuristic designs; and even robots strolling around."

A wide grin spread across his face, his excitement barely contained.

Lyra, noticing his expression, chuckled softly. "You're so strange. You look like someone stepping into new civilization for the first time."

"Do I really look like that? Well, you're not wrong," Seth replied with an honest smile, though inwardly he felt a tinge of awkwardness.

"That's because you lost your memories," Lyra teased lightly.

Seth sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "If only she knew how honest I was being."

His gaze was soon drawn to a massive building in the distance, with an impossibly long line of people snaking out from its entrance. "What's that place, Lyra? And why are so many people queued up there?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"That's the Tamer HQ," Lyra explained. "It's our destination."

Seth's jaw dropped as he took in the sight of the seemingly endless line. "What?! Why is it so crowded?" he exclaimed.

Lyra replied with a calm smile, "Because it's the only place where explorers can sell the spoils of their expeditions, like the monster cores we collected."

"Isn't there a faster way to do this? Something that doesn't involve waiting in a line that long?" Seth asked, a glimmer of hope lighting up his eyes.

"There is," Lyra said, her tone teasing.

"Really?" Seth perked up eagerly.

"But only if you're a Paragon," she added with a knowing smirk.

"A Paragon? What's that?" Seth asked, his curiosity growing.

Lyra began explaining as they joined the queue. "A Paragon is one of the highest ranks among Tamers. Tamers are classified into several ranks based on their skills and achievements. Let's start with the lowest rank."

"The lowest rank is Initiate. Beginners usually fall into this category. They're often hired as porters, assistants, or rookie explorers. Then, there's Adept. Adepts are commonly scouts in the front lines, but depending on their monsters, they can also serve as support for attack teams or even as soldiers, like the gate guards we saw earlier..."

"Then there's the Vanguard," Lyra continued, "Their role is similar to that of Adepts, but Vanguards are far more likely to be recruited into prominent groups or missions. Adepts, on the other hand, often end up doing work meant for Initiates.

"Next is the Champion rank. Typically, every guild considers Champions their core members. They almost never recruit Adepts, let alone Initiates, unless they possess unique monsters or rare artifacts. Those at the Champion level often serve as captains of the fortress's soldiers."

Seth interjected, "I've got a lot of questions, but let's finish the explanation first."

Lyra nodded and resumed, "After Champions, there are the Paragons. Paragons are elite Tamers who usually take on highly dangerous missions, such as clearing ruins or leading guild teams. They can even become commanders of the fortress's forces."

"Beyond Paragon are Sovereign and Overlord ranks. There are only four Sovereigns in this fortress and just ten known Overlords in the entire world. The Sovereigns here are the heads of major guilds and the leaders of this fortress. That's everything I know about Tamer ranks, though there might be more to their roles, this is the general picture."

Seth's curiosity flared. "What about unique monsters and rare artifacts? Do you know anything about those?"

Lyra thought for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but I can tell you that unique monsters are those that stand out among thousands of their kind. For example, your Abyss Howler, Cerbyss. Normally, Abyss Howlers fall under the Rare category. But if an Abyss Howler possesses a unique ability found in no other, it would be classified as Unique, and the category can be seen from their core too"

Hearing this, Seth glanced at Raynar and thought to himself, "So Raynar is a rare gem among the countless Voidshade Umbras out there."

Looking at his loyal companion, he smiled and said aloud, "You're the best, Raynar."

Raynar straightened his posture, letting out a proud growl as if to say, "Sure."

Seth chuckled and turned back to Lyra. "Sorry, I got caught up praising my monster. Please, continue."

Lyra laughed softly. "Haha, it's fine. Anyway, about rare artifacts, it's a bit hard to explain. Only a handful of people possess such artifacts, and that includes the four Sovereigns."

Seth turned to Lyra with another question, "Are there artifacts that aren't rare?"

Lyra paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, technically, all artifacts, except the ones sold in stores, are considered rare."

"Why's that?" Seth asked curiously.

Lyra began to explain, "The artifacts sold in stores are replicas of the original artifact mechanisms. These replicas are what made it possible for people to start taming monsters. Before these replicas existed, fewer than a hundred people in the entire world could tame monsters. Those people were the ones who accidentally discovered artifacts in ruins after the Aether Portals, the source of monsters disappeared."

"I see," Seth murmured, piecing the information together. "So, there are still a lot of mysteries about monsters and artifacts, huh?"

"Exactly," Lyra replied. "That's why humanity keeps exploring the world, searching for ruins and uncharted places."

Seth nodded, his thoughts racing as he absorbed what Lyra had shared. He fell silent, lost in contemplation, as they continued to wait in line at Tamer HQ.

Several Hours Later

"Finally, we're done. Turns out you were right, we finished at night," Seth said, his exhaustion evident.

Lyra chuckled. "Haha, you'll get used to it eventually," she replied, then added with a smile, "By the way, congratulations on officially becoming a monster tamer."

"Thank you, Lyra. From now on, let's work together," Seth said warmly.

Lyra hesitated, her cheeks reddening slightly as she asked, "Are you... inviting me to join your group?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have made it this far without you, and you're the only person I know here," Seth replied sincerely.

Lyra's expression grew somber. "But... I'm just an Initiate-level tamer. I won't be much help to you."

"Hey," Seth said firmly, "even an Overlord had to start as an Initiate. Don't sell yourself short like that. Let's become the greatest monster tamers together and help save humanity!"

Lyra's eyes lit up at his words. "You're right. Thank you, Seth, for believing in me."

"It's no problem. In a chaotic world like this, we have to rely on each other," Seth said, then grinned. "Speaking of which, how much did we earn from selling our monster cores?"

Lyra smiled, her tone brightening. "We earned quite a lot today, around 4,000 AP. It turns out the Abyss Howler leading that monster group was classified as unique, and its core alone fetched 2,000 AP."

"Alright," Seth declared, "we'll take 1,000 AP each, and the rest will go toward our group's budget, for supplies and essential equipment. I'm counting on you to handle it, Treasurer."

"Am I really allowed to take that much? Even 100 AP would be more than enough, I could buy supplies for three days with that," Lyra replied, looking uncertain.

Seth smiled warmly. "Hey, what's with that look? We're a team now, so we'll split all our earnings evenly. Don't forget to save some for the group fund for our future expeditions."

Lyra's eyes shimmered, nearly brimming with tears. "Thank you, Seth. I promise I'll work hard for our group."

"That's the spirit!" Seth replied enthusiastically. "Alright, let's go shopping, I'm starving!"

Then he glanced at Raynar and Cerbyss before turning to Lyra. "By the way, does your place have enough room for me, Raynar, and Cerbyss?"

"Don't worry," Lyra said with a reassuring smile. "The building where I live has a special room for monsters. You can rent one for 5 AP per night."

"Sounds good, then. Let's get going—I bet your siblings are worried about you," Seth said.

"You're right. We should hurry," Lyra agreed.

With that, they headed to the shopping district.