25: Destiny

Caleb felt a relief. Who knew Athena would behave in such a way? Caleb looked at Dunn with a grateful nod. If from before, he thinks that Dunn only looks like a strong uncle... Now; he was upgraded to a respectable, strong uncle for him.

"To answer your question. This young man beside me is Johan. One of those kids who are filling the wooden buckets from the well." Dunn patted Caleb on the back and said. "Go, introduce yourself to them, kid."

'I'm not a kid. I might even be older than all of you combined! Darned bastard.'

With a depressed sigh, Caleb couldn't help but complain in his head. Then he looked at the five members of the hunting party, who were also looking at him with an apparent question on their faces. Caleb brought the most polite smile he could muster and introduced himself.

"Hello, you might or you might not know me. I'm Johan."

With that, Caleb bowed for a moment and raised his head, his polite smile was still on his face.

Fushigiro nodded with a gentlemanly smile of his own.

"Well, you guys are doing a good job. Still, you guys have to be careful when going outside. Although we already cleaned up the wild beasts in the vicinities near the wall. One cannot be too careful. However, isn't the job of water resource falls to the two old men?"

'Yeah, one cannot be too careful indeed.' Caleb nodded in agreement. "Those old men handed the work to us frail little kids."

Caleb's expression on his face turned downcast as if he was wronged.

Seeing such a performance, Jin, beside Fushiguro, just smiled. Then Athena, who was struggling from Dunn's hands, cursed. "Bastard, let go of me! I won't do anything this time!"

Fushigiro's blue eyes were fixed to Johan. He was silent for a moment before turning his head at everyone.

"Is that true?"

When everyone saw their captain's serious face. No one dared to do something out of place. Even Caleb held his breath at the powerful sense of oppression that invisibly dawned on them. Suddenly, Caleb realized. 'This is the majesty of the captain!'

Rina shook her head.

"I don't know anything about that."

Dunn scratched his head and looked at the sky as if counting the clouds. "Me too."

"Me too."

"Those old men are the ones taking care of their affairs. To think they push their responsibilities to the kids who were supposed to be exercising their bodies. How unacceptable!" Miles, who was quiet from the start, said.

Caleb scratched the tip of his nose.

'Opps... Did I just make trouble for those two old men? Well, good for them!'

He didn't actually have any goodwill for those two who act all mighty. Although he knew that you have to respect elders, but not for those two bastards who didn't give him a good feeling right from the start.

Seeing Fushigiro's smile, Jin took a step forward and said with a low voice. "I'll take care of this thing later."

"Okay," Fushigiro simply nodded.

The tense shoulders of the hunting party visibly relaxed. Caleb wondered at this moment. 'Why are they so scared of their captain?'

Dunn whispered in Caleb's ears.

"You put us to the spot right there kid."

Calen put an awkward smile on his face due to embarrassment. How would he know that the captain would take his words so seriously? Still, Caleb didn't regret it. Just thinking of the unpleasant expressions of the two old men made him jubilated. Call him petty, he doesn't care.

"...So, why did you bring the kid here?" Fushigiro was back to his relaxed demeanor. His wild golden hair and blue eyes made him look as if the entire world was full of sunshine.

"Everyone here should be familiar with Johan. Isn't he the sickly pale kid that always looks tired?" Miles chuckled.

Athena gave Caleb a confused look. "Indeed. Why did you ask that we might not know you when the five of you kids always greet us on every successful hunt?"

"Yeah, everyone is familiar with each other since we're only twenty-two survivors living in the house." Dunn smiled. Then he looked at Fushigiro with a serious expression. "Well, this kid here doesn't look like much. I don't know why he looks pale and skinny, but looks can be deceiving. This boy's physique had actually reached the highest prerequisite to become a Destiny."

"What!?"

"Dunn, you must be joking, right?"

"You mean to tell us this sickly, unhealthy-looking kid had reached our level?"

Caleb shivered when every member of the hunting party looked at him with a look of incredulity. 'Curses!'

Fushigiro crossed his arms. And the way he looked at Caleb changed. It became that of appreciation.

Jin, on the other hand, kept his mysterious smile on his face and said:

"We know Dunn. Although he looks slightly unreliable. He won't say things like that without basis. So Dunn, tell us, why did you arrive at your conclusion?"

"Bastard!? unreliable? Do you have a problem with my looks!? Though thanks for trusting me."

After giving Jin a scowl, Dunn continued:

"Just test him already and you will see for yourself. Each of us is unfortunate already because we don't have the recipe of any destiny path to become one. However, this kid is even more unlucky. At such an age, he has reached the highest prerequisite. Such a talent would be wasted if he didn't become a Destiny."

Hearing this, Fushigiro sighed.

"Unfortunately, those recipes can only be accessed in the City of Phenos."

'Destiny? Can be accessed at the City of Phenos?' Caleb's eyes lit up when he heard the two keywords and he instantly connected the dots.

What is destiny? Just from the way the members talk, Caleb guessed that Destiny was the power system of this world! Just like how there are Taboo fighters from the other world, there is Destiny in this world!

Caleb clenched his fist and tried to not show his excitement on his face. 'It seems I really need to go to the Wall of Hope if I want to come in touch with the power system in this world and become one of those Destiny!'

As for the prerequisite they were talking about. It was easy to guess, that one has to reach a certain level of physical strength to step on the path of Destiny.

The hunting party members had all reached the prerequisite, like him, but they didn't have the recipe that would transform them into one.

'I'm really good at guessing.' Caleb couldn't help but compliment himself.