Cafeteria
"The First Savior…"
The old man had messy, laid-back white hair like that of a lion's mane. His aggressive smile could not be hidden by the bushy white hair on his jaws.
Just by looking at this painting, Atlan felt as if he was being stared down by the real thing himself.
"He was there when the first gods descended on Earth. He was there when the first humans interacted with the Mythical Beings. He was there when they struck the accord.
Ever since that agreement, humans were given immortality and power in exchange for the extermination of Canzers."
Atlan couldn't fathom how ancient those times were. It was hard to imagine people still alive today who witnessed that monumental pivot in human history.
Back then, the Unclaimed Lands were still habitable…
"He must be an amazing guy." His image was placed in the very middle of the hall with golden lights shining down on it.
He must have been an amazing guy to get that sort of treatment.
"Yes, he was…" Neumann's tone seemed to be one of sadness and melancholy.
Atlan wasn't expecting that sort of emotion from all of them, especially since Quinto seemed like such an amazing guy.
Did he die or something? Why did it feel like he had a tragic fate?
"What happened to him?"
Wemby sighed. He was the one most disappointed with what happened to the First Savior. He grew up idolizing the guy.
"Nothing happened to him. It's just…the thousands upon thousands of years of living an immortal life must have taken a large toll on him–mentally."
"He became insane," Neumann clarified.
"Insane? How? Aren't there supposed to be no disease or illness in a God's Territory?"
"It's not that simple. He was born in an ordinary world and only grew up in the now, immortal world. His brain developed differently, I guess."
Atlan looked at the image of Quinn's exploits sketched at the bottom of his name.
It showed great feats of strength, killing Canzers left and right with his bare hands. It showed him giving hope and peace to the citizens, symbolically becoming the First Savior.
It was hard to believe that such a guy would succumb to mental illness.
"Where is he now?"
They all look dejected. "He's out there in the streets, living the life of a derelict hobo.
He's been spouting all kinds of stuff– theories that don't make any sense at all and have no basis for truth.
Everyone tries to ignore him now, choosing to ignore his current form to preserve the awe-inspiring image they had of him years ago."
"What was he saying?"
Wemby shrugged. "You know, the usual conspiracy theories.
He thinks that aliens are among us and that the other overseas gods take surveillance on him. He even thinks everything is just a simulation."
Neumann shook his head. "He's been much more vocal now ever since that solar storm hit, saying all kinds of incredulous stuff. It's best to ignore him when you come across him."
"Come on, let's get going to the cafeteria before I lose my appetite talking about this."
Wemby led them back towards the cafeteria, and Atlan took one last look at the Hall of Heroes before he followed them.
#####
The cafeteria was a big room filled with long tables and seats perfect for eating and socializing at the same time.
Atlan and the others had to wait in line to get their chance to pick out whatever dish they wanted to eat.
"Ooh! Try the beef wellington, Atlan. You'll love it."
"Um…which?"
Wemby picked up the food for Atlan and put it on his large tray.
Atlan was from the Unclaimed Lands. The choice for meals there was either worms or mold and if they were lucky, some mushrooms.
He didn't know any of the foods in the selection, so he just copied whatever they picked.
Once they filled their trays with colorful foods that just looked like a mash of ingredients, Wemby led them to an empty table.
Atlan noticed that both Quills and Knives were dining in the same hall, but not together. He hadn't seen a blue battle suit mingle with a green one yet.
"Oh, look Atlan. It's that blonde S class genius."
Wemby pointed towards a beautiful blonde-haired girl sitting in the middle of a table filled with other girls.
Even when she was mingling with women who were much stronger than her, she still had an air of superiority that she did not lose.
"She's quite popular, eh?"
Even though she had barely been in Genesis City for a few days, she already integrated herself quite well.
"That's Barbara, a mage in the 5th stage Student Realm. Looks like she wants to mentor the blonde genius.
Hmmm…and that's Petra the sixth. Her family has a long line of Saviors, and she's considered to have a good future like her mother. Looks like she wants to have the genius as her friend."
Wemby quickly analyzed the situation.
The women around Yasmine were either her seniors or elite girls from prestigious families her age.
They knew that Yasmine would someday become a bigshot in the future, so they were trying to ally themselves with her early.
"Oh, look at those boys. They're trying to hit on her, but they keep getting rejected back and forth!"
Yasmine was popular among the novice Saviors her age. But of course, she didn't even spare a glance at them. Her friends quickly shooed her suitors away like an impenetrable fortress.
"Yasmine, don't entertain those boys till you're at least 50. By that point, you'll see which one is talented enough to be worthy of you."
The other girls agreed.
"But if you were to choose, who would you pick? Would you pick the cute guy, the famous guy, or the talented guy?"
"Oh come on. No one here's worthy of her, right?"
Yasmine kept silent and whipped her blonde hair away from her hair.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a normal-looking youth sitting at a table on the other side of the room.
He was awkwardly trying to eat his food with his friends laughing at the side. He was holding a fork in his whole hand and stabbing the peas on his plate.
She wouldn't forget that black hair and dark eyes–the one who transcended the competition with his talent, the one who she couldn't overcome.
"I have to go practice." She left the cafeteria, leaving her friends speechless.