First Encounter [Part 1]

After the successful negotiation between Thirteen and Arthur, funds started to pour into the bank account of their family.

The Leventis Family's monthly average income was 400 million gold coins. And this was only the earnings of the families' various businesses in Aldebaran and the city they call their home in Solterra, Warrington City.

Their Branch Families owned other businesses under their name and would only send a percentage to the Main Family as a tribute for allowing them to use the Family Name to conduct business.

The Monster Parts, Jinn, and Majin Cores were not included in this average earning.

The reason for this was simple.

Such resources were used to nurture the outstanding talents of the family.

Monster Parts were sent to Blacksmiths, Alchemists, and other Crafters, who would put them to good use.

The Jinn Cores would be used to upgrade the ranks of their people, allowing them to become stronger, so they could serve the family better.

When Thirteen asked for the complete corpse of a Monster, this included everything, even its Core.

High-Ranking Monsters could only be hunted by the Elite Hunting Teams of the Family. It was for this reason that Thirteen insisted that they be given a complete corpse, as well as the priority to buy monster parts for a discounted price.

Arthur reluctantly agreed to this condition because Thirteen promised him that the Leventis Family would get first priority when Gerald crafted other pieces of Mythical-Ranked Equipment.

Of course, Thirteen made sure that the Equipment were only bound to Arthur and Lady Callista. 

He had asked the Patriarch of the Leventis Clan to drop his blood on the Empyrean Great Sword and Empyrean Great Shield to have them bound only to him.

This meant that no one else would be able to use the two pieces of Mythical Equipment.

He also asked his father, Gerald, to talk to Lady Callista, telling her to bind the two Short Swords to herself, which she did the moment her son told her to.

After their transaction was done, over eighty million gold coins were transferred to Gerald's account, making him very happy.

The good thing about it was that they would consistently receive the same amount monthly, allowing their family to live comfortable lives.

Gerald no longer needed to go back to Solterra to go on expeditions and could just focus his attention on crafting gear to sell to his father or equip his family with.

Currently, Gerald and Alessia were not in the house. They had gone to the Leventis Warehouse to choose a suitable monster corpse to bring back home.

Michael had already given them a list of Monsters in their inventory, but Thirteen insisted that his father go to the Warehouse so that he could personally check the quality of the goods.

As someone who had risked his life to collect Monster Parts in Solterra, Gerald knew very well if something was good or not.

Also, Thirteen wanted his father to personally give a statement to the Leventis Family.

And that was, "Don't try to cheat us or else."

He also told his mother, Alessia, to go with his father just in case he became too hot-headed and started to cause a ruckus.

Many in the Leventis Family didn't like Gerald, so it was possible that he would receive some snide remarks from the workers of the warehouse.

In order to prevent trouble, it was important for Alessia to be there, keeping her husband in check.

The Leventis Family gathered their materials through expeditions in Solterra, in addition to clearing Dimensional Gates that appeared within the Aldebaran Continent.

Dimensional Gates appeared very often. They were like rain that came and went as it pleased, and they would appear anytime and anywhere.

In Oakheart City alone, where the Leventis Family ruled, Tier 1 to Tier 3 Dimensional Gates appeared frequently. 

The moment their artifacts detected that a Gate had appeared, an announcement would be made in the city, telling everyone to go to the evacuation centers and underground bunkers that were prepared for such an event.

The Wanderers would then either enter the Dimensional Gate to fight the Monsters in the world of Solterra or wait for them to come out before dealing with them. 

While the couple was at the Leventis Residence, Thirteen was busy training Shasha and Remi back at their home.

It was almost lunchtime, so the three of them were about to take a break when suddenly, Mikhail appeared on the training ground with a pale expression on his face.

"Zion, we have a problem!" Mikhail shouted. "There is a Gate outside our home."

Thirteen's expression immediately turned serious after hearing his brother's report.

"What kind of Gate?" Thirteen asked. "Did you see how many minutes are left?"

"I-I didn't take a look," Mikhail stuttered after seeing the intensity in his brother's gaze. "I immediately came here the moment I discovered it."

Thirteen frowned, but he knew that time was of the essence, so he immediately asked Mikhail to carry Remi and take her to the fortified basement of the house.

"Shasha, go with them as well," Thirteen ordered. "I'll go and see what kind of Gate it is."

Shasha nodded and ran after Mikhail, who was carrying Remi in his arms.

When Thirteen arrived in front of the residence, he saw a white portal, which was the color of a Tier-1 Dimensional Gate.

The first thing he did was take out his cell phone and dial a number.

Fortunately, after three rings, his father picked up, and from the sound of his voice, he seemed to have gotten himself a good deal.

"Hello, son, did you miss me?" Gerald asked.

"Pops, I just called to tell you that a Tier-1 Dimensional Gate appeared in front of our house," Thirteen replied in a calm manner.

"… How many minutes?"

"Six minutes."

A curse escaped Gerald's lips before he hurriedly told Thirteen to take his brothers and sisters to the underground shelter. 

"We'll be back soon!" Gerald said anxiously. "Protect your siblings until then!"

After saying those words, Gerald hung up, which meant that he and his wife would rush home as fast as they could.

Thirteen then ran toward the house and headed to the underground basement, where his other siblings were hiding.

While running, he also contacted someone who would be able to help him with his dilemma. 

"Hans, it's me," Thirteen said as soon as his call went through. "I don't have time to talk, so listen carefully. A Tier-1 Dimensional Gate appeared in front of our house. Send help, hurry."

"Right away, Young Master," Han replied curtly before cutting the connection.

As Thirteen entered the basement, he made sure to lock the three steel doors that served as the defense for their underground bunker.

'I messed up,' Thirteen thought with annoyance. 'I became too lax and forgot about this possibility.'

Usually, a Tier-1 Gate wasn't a problem, especially since his mother, Alessia was with them.

Even if she was alone, she could easily handle dozens of Rank 1 Jinns, especially after learning the Martial Technique, Dance of Solaris.

However, Thirteen had asked her to accompany his father to the Leventis Warehouse to prevent any problems from occurring.

He didn't expect that, during their absence, a Tier-1 Gate would suddenly appear. And to make matters worse, it appeared right in front of their house.

Their residence was located at the base of a mountain, which was surrounded by forest.

They were a good distance away from the city, and even if his parents hurried to get back home, it would still take them half an hour to arrive.

Hans, on the other hand, could arrive faster.

But even with his most optimistic estimates, the Butler would not arrive until twenty minutes or so.

Truth be told, Thirteen wasn't too worried about Tier-1 Jinns breaking through the defenses of their home.

In fact, he was confident that they would not even know that there were children hiding in the basement of the house.

What he was worried about was the leader of the pack.

Tier-1 Gates had at least one up to three Rank 2 Jinns that led their group.

They were the true threats that worried Thirteen.

A Rank 2 Monster might not be able to destroy the steel walls that protected the basement instantly, but given enough time, they would undoubtedly succeed.

At that moment, the ground shook, and the lights flickered a bit.

Thirteen lightly covered Remi's lips to prevent his little sister from screaming or making a sound.

He didn't really care if their entire house was destroyed after the Rank 1 Monsters had rampaged to their heart's content.

Their house could be rebuilt with the money they now possessed.

But if he or any of his siblings died, no amount of money could bring them back to life.