Volume - 4 // Chapter - 100
2377 Words
[10 years ago, at some town outside the main District of the Kingdom]
Robert Steel (Approximately 20 years old at the time) was currently on his way from being apprenticeship to becoming head of the Department given by the Administration.
It was astoundingly harsh and critically perilous as the competency for reaching the position has crucially acquired to be trained in such hellish form of adventuring at the same time the minds and aptitudes for the applicants have to be packed with integrity and values to the utmost extent.
At that time, Robert Steel was one of the finest and closest cadets able to reach the rank of the Department head by all means according to some evaluators.
"Ready!"
"Go!"
The Administration evaluators sincerely testing the cadet's physical strength by taking an endurance test and so.
Without using magic spells nor Awakening essence able to amplifies the possessor's physique as the Administration evaluators aggressively disallowed such kind of reconciliations.
At the very least, 30 Cadets out of 200 applicants had been managed to survive in a 2-year course given by the Administration. That includes the rookie Robert Steel at the time.
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! 5000-meter dash!
/Cadets wholeheartedly running./
/Robert wins and is the first one to reach in./
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!1000 meter water sprint!
/Cadets aggressively swim./
/Robert wins and is the first one to reach in./
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! 50-kilometer mountain trekking!
/Cadets nervously hiking./
/Some Cadets couldn't be held nor continuing and went surrendered./
/Most Cadets continued, but eventually failed due to the time limit relatively didn't comply given by the evaluators./
/Robert wins and is the first one to reach in./
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!200 items cadetship / Adventurers exam!
/Cadets genuinely answering./
/Cadets slowly forfeiting due to some issues over time./
/Most Cadets failed due to the time limit given by the evaluators./
/Robert scores perfectly and is the first one to take in./
Given the test and other evaluations preparing by the Adventurers Administration. Robert Steel submissively taking all the trials that they'd made, with ease and certainty towards his action.
The Administration sought the potential and absolute eagerness given by Robert Steel at that time. That instantly taking their minds to choose him as the Department Head for a certain kind of assignment.
And so, the final test had been commenced.
!Apprenticeship for at least a month by the {Contractors}!
The last thing he finally heard from the hellish test and intense training given by the evaluators.
Not knowing for the odds and dangers lies with the test, as what the evaluators sincerely thought through the Contractors.
"Most number of Apprentice simply couldn't continue their final test it is due to the Contractors itself, generally putting their student on the line that causes for an immediate death or the like." One Administration Evaluators sagaciously sharing their thoughts to the people putting him on accomplice shortly.
Allowing the young Robert Steel to be startled throughout his cores that some things around him moving would instantly get him frightened and terrorize throughout the day.
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And so, the day after;
The Apprenticeship had finally begun.
The Contractor that putting Robert Steel on its care should eventually come for the time being.
Waiting in a certain room, generally hot inside due to the weather itself was a blazing summer and drought was constantly piercing.
Nonetheless, the level of his nervousness was astoundingly rising as the sweat of his body was cold and chilly to the point that the heat from outside wasn't made him bothered anymore.
"Yeah... I've heard it... I heard about this story... about these Contractors!" Robert utterly went terrified for the moment he thinks for the people that might be putting his life at risk without prior consideration.
!Knock!
!Knock!
/Door slowly opened./
/People momentously arriving./
!!???
All of a sudden, Robert abrasively shook down from where he sat. Generally rattled himself for an instant and slowly losing his mind from being restless.
!Blink!
!Pak!
/A strong, quick stance of attack maliciously spurring on the ground./
In a spur of a moment, one audacious person nonchalantly charges through Robert Steel without asking for the evaluator's permission. That generally causes the young cadet to stumbled onto the floor and went unconscious for several hours momentarily.
Deliberately acquiring for Robert Steel's existence to be held on his Apprentice moreover.
The Adventurers Administration humbly granting the 'Contractors' request and simply left the building afterward.
~
Robert's consciousness finally regained after 10 hours of deep sleeping. Utterly went shocked and terrified for a second thought he saw in his eyes.
/Entire surroundings had been filled with emptiness and nothingness./
/Breeze whispering into the air are chilly and malignant./
In all means of his consciousness slowly opening up through his ignorance and curiosity, Robert Steel genuinely amazed and flabbergasted to the surroundings and environment far unthinkable into his mind.
"What's all this?... A yellowish-colored Sea filled with dense sand and ground floor? Amazing!" The first thing he noticed throughout his ignorant conscience.
! It's a Desert, be sure you remember that...! A harsh, gutsy voice of a manly being humbly responding to Robert's ulterior curiosity.
Robert seemed terrified and wary at first, to the point of being alarmed through his senses and eventually putting his entire consciousness to a defensive stance.
Wanting to fight for his life was what he adamantly resolved for a moment.
By noticing Robert's utter stance and pose, seeing him drawing some magic weapons far unusual as what he believes and a book filled with magic spells horrendously grabbing on his left, generally wanting to deal a fight against him. The Contractor simply laughed and teased very recklessly, so hard he instantly getting bad to the apprentice's destitute response wanting to redeem his life out of the abyss.
"Who the hell are you? Answer me! you scumbag!" Robert aggressively asked with malicious intent.
"Hahahaha... Relax kid, I was the one acquiring you to become my apprentice!" He genuinely replied with tease and jesting behavior.
As the Contractor kindly submitting himself to the frightened and frustrated apprentice for a second. Robert Steel still being dormant and adamant about believing by just a shred of verbal evidence.
He went assured himself against him by gallantly checking his identification nor a thing that leisurely putting himself on its real.
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Kingdom: Saint Haven
Name Luther -----
Monicker: Corpse Collector
Rank: Adjutant
Class: Mercenary
Job-Description: Contractor
Guild: None
Affiliations: Saint Haven Adventurers Administration
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As soon as he finally checks his identification by his means and assurance, his heart and consciousness who had seen restless and uneasy against him had been wiped and assured eventually. Sincerely thanking Luther for accepting him from being his apprentice at the same time being apologetic for his vulgar behavior throughout the day.
Regardless of his other attitude and behavior that so jesting to the point that most of his warnings and sayings don't ring a bell on him anymore.
For a few weeks of being assistant to the contractor for the entire time.
Tons of knowledge and information had been passed down on his deep insights and consciousness. Both good and bad things.
Not to mention the Contractor's other lewd behavior that causes them to gain troubles anytime they head through into nearby places.
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"Plants that grow amid a raging wave of the heat? Amazing!" He continuously nodded as if means he could turn back into a child anytime that happens.
"Most of them said it's a "Cactus" according to the Book of Awakening... But in terms of other native people throughout the world, It would be completely different according to their beliefs and cultures." Luther humbly explaining for the things Robert didn't seem to understand.
That includes some hideous thoughts and lewd-minded scenarios that generally putting the minds of Robert Steel to went stain and perverted. Nonetheless, he doesn't seem affected by it.
"If you want to drink ... Just ask me... And don't drink those cactus water! You will end up hallucinating with that!" Luther aggressively warned his apprentice for some important precaution that greatly slows their travel very horrendous and tiring.
Knowing for the fact that the humidity of where they stood began rising as the heat from the sun began scorched.
Not to mention for the next nearby destination they wanted to reach was approximately 12 kilometers away from where they currently rode in and near past 15 kilometers back from the place where they previously heading.
The two had been riding in a dark, summoned carriage created by Luther himself for the whole time of travel, initially using for traversing place to place just made his contract mission complete. Not only that, the said contract he accepted at that time was to collect souls and other malignant beings being scourged by the forces of evil Entities, maliciously desolating some villages that deeply affected their lives and properties.
As Luther is currently concerned, was broad daylight that drastically illuminating the entire horses and carriages, which technically causes him to hurt momentously and his Awakening senses slowly eroding and dried up until its empty.
That intuitively putting his mind on walking in a broad afternoon at the middle of the desert, only him and Robert Steel as his assistant, who slowly passed his entire consciousness due to the scorching heat and their ration of water had been drought unfortunately and maddening.
Out of the blue, in such desperate and imprudent manner given by Robert Steel.
He drank one of the cactus' water without having permission coming from Luther the Contractor.
That instantly getting him to distraught and disgruntled due to his reckless actions and indocile by such means and orders.
"You i***t!" He went maddened and went restless as the result. Consistently thinking about abandoning his current contract mission over his assistant who saw his body slowly imploding due to the poison that he drinks out of desperation.
!The Lives of many over the life of a man!
It was the kind of crucial thing that he held thinking for a few seconds of being idle. That genuinely putting his entire decision as one, wholeheartedly wanting on helping Robert Steel over the lives of the people suffering from the forces of the evil Entities.
That even for him, he utterly knows and believes it would be settling on his grave fighting alone and relentlessly on dealing against it.
He selflessly leaving the said place and went off treating the young apprentice's health as the result.
~
The next day;
The news and report given by the other Kingdom had been spread throughout the Administration.
!The Rantle Village had been obliterated and people living out there had been killed by the forces of evil Entities!
People and other High-ranking Administration Personnel are prudently knowledgeable about the things highly responsible for the incident. With their eyes sharply menacing, initially putting their deepest discouragement and disappointments into Luther and Robert Steel as well.
And generally debunked their status and records far thoroughly and disgracefully.
Several years after;
The two had redeemed their lost pride, sincerely bouncing back from where left the track of reaching their goals to the fullest.
Robert Steel became Department Head of the Adventurer Knights, continuously living as a commandant of the majority of the Branch Administration.
Alongside his mentor, who seemingly seen him as a failure.
Even for a time that changes pass through and turned into memories, wanting to forget as well.
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[Present time, at the Willow Village Adventurers Administration.]
The conflict between the Chief Department Head and the Adventurer Knights Department Head had been heated up by their pride and convictions holding up against each other.
"As I said, I did successfully on defending the Eastern Part of the Village Territory... Does it seemed convincing to fulfill your gullible appetite?" Robert aggressively nodded.
"Watch your tone on your mouth! Like I care seeing your progress by resulting most of it into failures?" Luther sarcastically replied.
"Failures don't define triumphs... Achievements can!" Robert voluptuously rebuked.
"Then you do believe you do have that one? Didn't you?" Luther instantly fought back verbally.
As the two stupendously arguing over a thing that is seemingly being unraveled already. The people inside the building didn't seem annoyed nor terrified from their unobtrusive conflicts. Went subtle to their stead and generally listening to the two Department heads' unnecessary arguments momentously and ungainly.
"Oh? I see... So those two had been fighting for their past and went instinctive for the alignment of their failures... I guess." Sam Smeagel deliberately nodded, as he simply went back on eating cheese around the corner and casually greeting some of the High-ranking personnel from different departments throughout the Administration.
Alicia Madrid started to head through on her own, as she continually visiting for the families of the fallen Adventurers and Personnel, thoroughly trying to ease their pain and sorrowful feeling as they wish for the Sea monsters to eradicate from their existence and went being apprehended away from their places.
Misho Santa utterly began puzzled and mumbled on his own all of a sudden. Emersively being annoyed as he has gallantly seen the faces of other people being audacious for doing their things pretty normal as what everything was supposed to be.
The Entities, on the other hand, sincerely observing the behaviors and actions given by the people, watching from another dimension. As they trying to interact on their own volition by mimicking all the people they'd seen uncanning nor hilarious without being noticed and alarmed from the Adventurer Knights security threats.
In which Malta the Entity audaciously wanted to close the sensory precautions secretly implanted throughout the village. That Robert Steel bluntly declined with a clear smug on his face.
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In the meantime.
At the Church, whereas the profound, ascertain treatment and consistent healing given by Helina Booluck and the Church Attendants for more than several hours since morning.
An unknown, unyielding force of Awakening aura had surged dramatically inside the room where everyone takes in.
A bluish-dark-colored Awakening aura, surging forth from the Supreme Awakening Possessor's deep insight. Instantly made them startled and terrified due to it.
That eventually paid off their efforts and pain, trying to wake him up from his deep slumber and relentless agony.
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***To be Continued***
- Writer
