Chapter - 12 - Potential [1]

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"A Courtner, you say?"

"Yes, leader."

"Hmm... so he is an escapee?"

"Yes, lea-"

"Stop calling me 'leader' in public, geez..."

The two people talking were Mikael and one of his lackeys. Mikael continued to pour liquor to the guy's glass as they continued chatting. The guy didn't wear a cloak unlike most people so, his spiky brown hair and upturned brown eyes stood out.

"Yes, sir."

"Ha... "

Shaking his head lightly, Mikael looked at the entrance door. It was just a few hours ago that the kid they were talking about entered through there. He didn't seem anything particularly special that interested Mikael but Mikael wanted to know whatever he knew his name by a chance or knew something about the organization or about 'him' that he shouldn't.

After all, it wasn't that hard to guess his name to be 'Mikael' when the bar was called [Mika's Place] but since the kid knew about the Dark Auction, there was still a chance he knew something.

As Mikael went back to organizing his liquor bottles on the shelves, the guy, continued.

"The kid isn't even an awakened so I doubt he is worth of your attention, sir. Even though his connection with the Marquis is concerning, I don't think an abandoned child would rat us out to him. I'm not even talking about the fact that Marquis Courtner isn't some halfwit who would believe a child without a reason, so-"

"Yes, yes. I get your point Keith, however..."

Mikael placed the bottle in his hand as he glanced at Keith, the guy with spiky hair. His face was as still as ever but there was a strange glint in his eyes. As Keith shuddered by the sudden chill he felt, he grabbed another bottle.

"...I never said I've taken an interest in the kid in the first place so, no need to keep repeating yourself like a parrot. This is already the 7th time you're saying the same sentence, cut it out."

"-Yes, sir..."

Hearing Mikael's complaint, Keith bowed his head slightly. Even though Mikael was cool-headed most of the time, he knew how much he hated when someone told him the same thing over and over again as if he had alzheimer.

'I guess it's something that comes with the age... no, my grandfather was the incarnation of a patience stone compared to him so, probably not.'

Without knowing what Keith's inner thoughts were, Mikael brought up the main topic they were supposed to talk about.

"Anyways, enough about the kid. You said a dungeon appeared nearby, right?"

"Ah, yes."

Keith fixed his back as he took out a paper filled with the information he observed about the dungeon for the last week.

"It seems to be a <F> ranked slime dungeon so I thought we could send some of our novices to train."

"Hm... You are sure it's still undiscovered by the guilds and the government?"

"Yes, sir. I've already ordered a few of our members to keep watch on the area."

"I see. Good job."

Satisfied with how organized his shelves looked now with the news he heard, Mikael took the paper.

====================

◌〔The Submerged Laboratory〕◌

➢Dungeon Rank = <F>

➢Entry Restriction = Lower than <E-> ranked individuals

➢[0/20]

●⮞Beast Types = Slimes[Common<G+>], Seawolves[Elite<F->] and a low-rank Sea Demon (Sahuagin)[Boss<F>]

➢Time Left Until Gate Closes = 351d 19h 44m 27s [Last Recorded - 07/OCT/2203]

====================

"Slimes, huh? No matter how weak, they are quite tricky to deal with but that would help them train more. Good idea, Keith."

"Hehe- Ahem!"

Even though he looked near his thirties, Keith smiled like a child at the compliment before coughing and returning back to his fierce look. Seeing him like that made Mikael chuckle.

"Slimes can improve their fighting styles with their flexible attacking while the seawolves will help their speed thanks to their agility but... the Sahuagin is kinda concerning, make sure you send a <F+> ranked person with them and supply everyone with water breathing masks. We can't afford anyone to die in a merely <F> ranked dungeon, especially now."

"Yes, sir."

"If there is nothing more to discuss, off you go."

"Yes, sir."

Bowing his head respectfully while making sure nobody noticed, Keith drank all of the wine he left untouched till now in a single gulp. He got up and left the bar. He needed to complete his assignment before anyone else could discover the dungeon, after all.

Watching his back for a while, Mikael turned back to his shelves, only to notice one of the bottles missing.

"Haa... this drunkard kid."

It looked like Keith stole a wine bottle when he was deep in his thoughts. Again. Mikael kept grumbling about his dissatisfaction as he took another bottle and started to organize them again to keep himself busy.

/-----/

"Haammm..."

Letting out a loud yawn, Joshua got up from his seat. Only once did he stop to take a break did he notice how tired he was. He was waiting for the old man and the bulky guy to finish his fake ID as he sat on this comfy couch, facing the male attendant for whole 10 minutes.

And given the guy kept his silence while looking at him, Joshua felt pressured.

He wanted to stay near him because his [Observation] skill showed him that while the bulky guy was <D-> ranked tank, this attendant was a <C-> ranked swordsman, though he had yet to see his sword. He also looked harmless unlike the cold man who was nearly double his height.

When he arrived in front of the table across the couch, he took the teapot as he turned and asked if the male attendant also wanted some tea which he replied with a nod. As he poured down tea for both of them, he heard a low 'ding' coming from behind. It looked like the attendant was texting someone right now. Keeping his cool, he placed the tea cup in front of the man as he tried to steal a glance at his phone.

[-leave him be. Leader told to supervise him longer to see if he is of any worth-]

He couldn't read the attendant's reply to who looked like his senior but Joshua had enough time to find answers to some of his questions. Making sure the male attendant didn't notice what he did, Joshua returned to his seat as quick as possible and sipped his tea. Unfortunately, he underestimated the <C-> rank but even while knowing Joshua had read a part of their messages, the male attendant kept his calm.

With the same awkward silence, they sat opposite each other while Joshua was lost in his own world. He was sure this 'leader' was Mikael. After all, not only most people prefered the word 'boss' over the word 'leader' to solidify their position as the owner, Mikael was the type to observe and raise people depending on their worth in his eyes.

The door to the room opened fully as the bulky black man entered with a card in his hand.

"Here you go."

His action was so sudden that Joshua flinched unconsciously but still took the card and scanned it with his white card as he did before. Nodding his head with a smile that didn't fit his face at all, the man beckoned both of them to follow him as he guided them to the exit. With the man and the attendant being the tall people they are, Joshua had a hard time keeping up.

Thankfully, unlike the entrance, the exist wasn't very complicated as it only took them 20 seconds to leave. Well, most of it was because of how fast the two in the front moved but that didn't matter now, did it?

"With this, I'm finally done."

Joshua stretched his body as he looked around the market for the last time. It seemed like the male attendant also had no idea of keeping him here for any longer as he guided the way without any expression.

"Haa.. haa... I completely forgot about this."

While they were heading back, Joshua had to stop and hold his shaky legs to calm his breathing. He was so focused on his shopping that he completely forgot about how many stairs he had to climb to get back up. From the corner of his eye, he could notice the attendant giving him a pitying look as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.

After half an hour of repeating the process of climbing and taking a break for a few times, they finally arrived in the interior of the bar. Joshua quickly headed to the bistro table right in front of Mikael and took a seat. As much as he wanted his first impression of him to be cool, right now, he was starving to death.

Looking at the surprised Mikael with sparkly eyes, Joshua spoke up.

"I want to have a breakfast menu, please!"

"...We don't sell food and it is midnight, kid."

"Then, dinner!"

"..."

Just after two exchanges, Mikael felt like he was already starting to get tired of dealing with the kid in front of him but he wasn't the type to starve a kid either.

"If you want to eat so much, Ray here can prepare a sandwich and for beverage... Well, we should have some orange juice in the backroom."

"Yes! Please!"

Joshua answered energetically but then he noticed what Mikael said as he tilted his head.

"Ray?"

"Right behind you."

Hearing that, Joshua turned his head, only to see the same swordsman attendant looking back at him. He nodded his head at Joshua before going to the backroom.

"Oh... so his name was Ray. Just why is he not talking..?"

Joshua looked at Mikael confusedly. Was it only Joshua who he didn't speak to or was he always like this?

Mikael answered his question as he changed places of two bottles again, his expression wasn't visible as his back faced Joshua.

"Rather than 'not talking' he 'can't talk' in the first place."

"So, he is a mute?"

Joshua asked another question without much thought. It's not like he didn't think about this option. After all, from all the people he saw, other than the first girl attendant and Ray, everyone else talked without any restrictions.

"He wasn't always one."

"You mean... did his tongue..."

"Right."

"I see. Poor him."

Hearing Joshua reply calmly, Mikael turned back to face him as he saw Joshua tapping and drawing a circle on the table as his head rested on his arm with an indifferent face. Mikael raised a brow seeing this scene.

"You don't seem that sorry about it, kid."

"Would you like me to feel sorry for him? It's not like I am the one responsible for what he went through."

Raising his head and looking straight at Mikael, Joshua continued.

"Things are just what they are, there is no point in pitying someone when they don't seem too concerned about it, old man. It's not my place to judge someone else's misery."

"Oho..."

Mikael was genuinely impressed.

'Though he is mostly childish, it looks like this kid has a mature self when it comes to topic like these.'

A faint smile appeared on his face as he returned to what he was doing. There was a moment of silence between them but it wasn't that awkward like the one with Ray, rather it felt relaxing. The only downside was that it allowed Joshua to hear the sounds of lust, shouting and laughing more clearly. He tried to ignore them but it turned out that he was the type to become sensitive when he was hungry. Burying his face on the table, he hugged his empty stomach that kept growling without a stop. Thankfully, with the bar being lively, nobody heard him.

After a few minutes, Mikael asked a question out of nowhere.

"What are you planning to do from now on, kid?"

"Eh? I'm sorry. I couldn't quite catch that."

"What are you planning to do from now on?"

"Ah... I will probably become an adventurer. I want to get stronger and making money out of it doesn't seem too bad."

"Then?"

"Uh..."

Joshua pauses at Mikael's question. Till now, other than getting stronger, he didn't think much about what he would do afterwards. Organizing his mind for a bit, he answered.

"That, I don't know but I want to become strong enough to do whatever I think is right without anyone restricting nor a need to worry about the consequences."

"What you think is right, huh... I'm guessing Midnight wasn't a part of that."

Hearing Marquis' Courtner's horse's name coming out of Mikael's mouth, Joshua paused to think. It looked like Mikael did a full background check on him as he expected.

Seeing him like that, Mikael spoke up.

"Kid, even if the horse is just an animal, you killed a harmless creature. How does that makes you any different from killers?"

"I understand your point but it's not like I killed it irrationally, you know."

"You're saying that after pouring its guts out?"

Joshua could see wrinkles on Mikael's face tensing a bit, he replied as quickly as possible.

"That was just a presentation. I needed its heart and blood so I took it."

"What?"

"Rather than explaining it, showing it directly would be much easier. That's also one of the reasons why I came here after all, old man."

Before Mikael could reply, Ray, who appeared out of nowhere, placed a plate and a glass full of orange juice in between them. Joshua shot a grateful look at Ray before completely focusing on his food.

Mikael, who saw his questions going unanswered, left his place to hand over some beer to his costumers with Ray helping him out.

After just a minute, Joshua finished the whole sandwich. He patted his stomach and looked back at the two that were coming back.

"Would you like to talk inside, oldie?"

"First 'old man' and now 'oldie', huh..."

Grumbling, Mikael led the way to the backroom as he left Ray to replace him as the bartender. Once they entered the room, he sat on a chair near them.

Without wasting any time, Joshua went to the table and took out a few bottles and a glass box that were fully covered with blood red.

"Here."

"This is..?"

Mikael sent a questioning look to Joshua which he replied calmly.

"Midnight was a horse that carried the bloodline of a godbeast, which is also one of the reasons why Marquis achieved such things in the battlefield. I'm sure even he doesn't know about it but you can get it checked if you want to."

"What?"

Processing what Joshua just said, Mikael couldn't help but laugh. A godbeast? Even if Midnight was one, an archbishop would notice its presence but a little kid did? That just sounded like bullshit.

"Kid, I don't know who told you such nonsense but godbeasts are not a topic you can talk about lightly."

Joshua let Mikael finish his sentence before speaking up. Since he already took the first step, he couldn't back down now. He had to select his next words carefully.

"The bloodline belongs to a low-ranked one with %7 purity. So, it's not that special in the first place."

Joshua paused between his words to give some time to Mikael. Even though he still didn't believe him, his words seem to be effective as Mikael's ridiculing gaze turned to one of understanding.

"Those cases aren't too rare but if it's %7 then, that means Marquis wouldn't let you go easily. Even we can find such blood only twice a year."

"No, he probably had no idea about it. In the first place, he is a horse-collector so he should have a ton of them to ride from, no? He might order some of his lower-rank knights to chase me but that's pretty much it. As long as I'm strong enough to defend myself, all's well."

"That's some immature way of thinking, child... Even though I won't disagree that you have a point."

Joshua was hurt by being called immature but he decided to focus back on the topic as there was nothing he could do about it. He was facing with an organization leader right now.

"And, what do you want to do with those blood and heart?"

"I want to trade the blood with you and for the heart... I have no plans of selling it but I need a better equipment to keep it alive, this glass won't hold on for long."

Mikael looked at the glass box for a second before making a hand signal. The second he did so, a guy with an attire similar to Ray entered the room.

Mikael signaled to the glass box and bottles and ordered to guy to make a test on them. This all happened in a single second that left Joshua dumbfounded. It's not like he was going to oppose it but now that it happened like this, he felt like something was stolen from him.

While the attendant who covered the glass box with a piece of cloth was starting the blood test with lots of machines around him, Mikael and Joshua were talking about what Joshua would trade those items for.

No matter how weak, Mikael didn't believe Joshua killing a godbeast in the slightest but he knew having that blood was more important if it really belonged to one. As far as he knew, there shouldn't be anyone backing the kid but it looked like there was something wrong with the intel he got.

'And there's also how he got the blood checked... it's not like he could roam freely in the mansion without worry and get it done... was his backing someone from the household?'

In 10 minutes, the test was done as the man(?) entered the room with a paper confirming Joshua's claim and placed the bottles and a box back. It looked like he transfered the heart to a way more advanced box to prolong its life as long as possible.

After reading the whole paper, Mikael looked back at Joshua as the man left the room without a need for him to order.

"So... you want an Awakening Stone, two foundation manuals related to dagger art and sword art and an entry-pass to a low-rank dungeon?"

"Uhm."

Joshua replied to Mikael with a nod. His demands weren't something that was worth talking about but the main point was the 'awakening stone'. He didn't know his potential but he needed to awaken as soon as possible. Even if the stone used was much lower ranked, he still had a solution to that.

"This deal works in my favor so I have no complaints but let's get your potential checked first. Even if it's me, I have no reason to give an <SS> ranked Awakening Stone to a random kid, you know."

"I doubt my potential is of such high rank..."

With that, Joshua quickly put the box and the bottles back in his bag as he followed right behind Mikael but the box was so heavy that even after placing it in his bag, he kept staggering every once and then. They were now headed to the same room where Midnight's heart and blood were inspected.

While doing so, Joshua suddenly remembered something.

'Wait. Wasn't the first time I got an achievement for killing a beast was when I was with the travelling group? What about Midnight? Did it not count? No, no way. I could earn so much points from that! Then, why???'

The unanswered questions tormented him as he followed right behind Mikael who was eyeing him with a slight frown which he couldn't see.

[A/N: Hello! It looks like I'm finally getting my own computer after years of not having one! My uploading frequency may change in the future depending on that so I will let you guys know about it if that happens! -And thank you for reading my novel this far^^!]