I agreed to follow the quintet back to their home. Naturally, I kept my tao field going just in case this turned out to be some elaborate trick but the four warriors were more interested in protecting the old man than in fighting with me. I pulled up my map intending to get some idea about where I was going but there were no hubs. "Do you all have a System hub?"

The older man shook his head. "Unfortunately no, very few of our people went to the tutorial, and of those that had very few returned here. The few cultivators we do have didn't manage to earn one."

I raised an eyebrow as the brawler from before tensed at that. It wasn't hard to assume that there was a bit more to that story but it wasn't important at least not at the moment. "Are you all going to introduce yourselves? Or are we playing up the mystery angle?"

The older man chuckled and pointed to himself. "You will have to forgive me. It has been quite a while since people who didn't know who I was spoke to me. My name is Keshaun, Keshaun Reid."

That name seemed familiar. I cocked my head and looked up at the stars as if they held the information I sought. "Keshaun? Keshaun? I have heard that somewhere. Famous?" My eyes widened as hit me. "You are that black panther. The one that dies..." My words trailed off as what I knew to be true clashed with what I could see. "You aren't dead."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I am not. Though as far as most of America knew I was. Bombs are pretty effective at that. Place one at the right spot and make sure the cameras are rolling. No one ever asks if there was a person in the car."

I blinked in confusion as I tried to decide what to do. Officially Keshaun was a terrorist of course the government decided that was probably dead so did that matter? I was sure that I could kill him and everyone else here with little effort so it wasn't like he was a threat to me. I glanced around and saw that my silence affected everyone in the group. Or rather everyone except Keshaun. The four cultivators had tensed like springs ready to launch themselves at me. Their eyes had even hardened as if they were ready to throw their lives away. That conviction made me falter. It was one thing to strive for yourself but they for him? "Well, now I am very curious."

We started walking again and the atmosphere slowly calmed. It was too much to say everyone relaxed but we weren't ready to start fighting again. "So outside of being a dead man is there anything else you can tell me?"

He chuckled as we stepped into a clearing. My attention was stolen by a four-story tall building surrounded by thick trees. The building only had a handful of windows. I chuckled as I connected a few remaining dots. "Black site?"

"Indeed, It turns out the conspiracy theorists were a bit more right than people gave them credit for. Will you join us inside?"

I nodded. "If it turns out to be some sort of trap I won't hesitate to kill you all," I stated plainly and watched their reactions. Just like before the cultivators tensed but Keshaun didn't. He remained just as confident and calm as when we started. I considered opening a portal and just stepping inside. If only to throw the old man off his game but quickly decided against it. There would be no benefit and that would put the spell on cool down. Instead, I walked alongside the group. There were very few defenses. No wall, no barbed wire I didn't see a single security camera. I wasn't sure if that was because they were hidden or if black sites didn't have them. A trio of guards in mismatched body armor stepped out of a blacked-out glass door. They had long rifles in their hands as well as a handgun on their hips.

"You guys are going to have to get rid of those. You won't gain any levels." I spoke up first and the trio completely ignored me.

"Please, this is our guest Amari. I would appreciate it if you would show him in and help him get comfortable. I would like to arrange dinner and a place for him to rest." Keshaun said and sure enough, the trio nodded and stepped to the side.

I found it hard to believe that the trio was here to stop me. Which made it more likely that this was a show. Of course, the only issue with that theory is they shouldn't have known I would be here. Keshaun stepped forward and entered the building. Instead of letting me follow after we entered the building, I was led down a side hallway and up a set of stairs. My "escorts" had no interest in conversation no matter what I said so I paid more attention to the rest of the building. There were clear signs of battle. Numerous bullet holes, and broken tiles on both the floor and ceiling. From what I could the battle didn't have skills or spells which only made me more curious. I condensed my tao field to a few inches above my skin as I was led into a "bedroom". A room that had been a cell at one point. The doors and walls were made out of dull stone and the bed was a simple twin-sized mattress with basic linen. Even the bed frame looked like something out of a prison film. I raised an eyebrow at the guards who said nothing. I sighed and took a seat on the bed.

"We will be back when it's time for dinner. If you need anything please let us know." The first of the trio spoke up and despite the helpfulness of the words. I found myself struggling to believe them. Still, I gave them a nod and waited for them to close the door. When they did I turned my attention to my status screen. My stats had undergone a drastic transformation over the last few weeks.

Name Amari Jackson Level 29 Class [1-Epic]Psionic Paragon Species [2]Human Affiliation Earth Manual [1]Ethereal Codex(22%) Titles Beloved by Tao, Big Game, Chosen, First to Ten, Leader of the Pack, Monstersbane, Overlord Slayer, Overpowered, Perfect 100, Prime Hunter, Tutorial, Voyager, Limited Titles Pinnacle Tao Strand of Adamance — Comprehension: Middle, Strand of Lucidity — Comprehension: Low Agility 127 (Increase:65%. Potency:120%) Constitution 132 (Increase:65%. Potency:120%) Intelligence 167 (Increase:70%. Potency:120%) Luck 135 (Increase:85%. Potency:120%) Perception 120 (Increase:65%. Potency:120%) Strength 109 (Increase:65%. Potency:120%) Wisdom 320 (Increase:75%. Potency:120%) Free Points 0 System Credits [1] 39,700,000

I knew my stats were amazing by any standard but the fact that Luck hadn't increased much if at all since the tutorial ended was a bit annoying. Of course, it made sense luck wasn't supposed to be an attribute that increased by leaps and bounds. Mine had to be considered high by any metric by now. Assuming that there weren't a bunch of fruits that boosted luck sitting around. Speaking of which I should ask about getting some of those. With my newfound fortune, I should be able to do something special with that. The only question was how should I spend it. Of course, I could search for treasures and arrays that made me stronger but was that worth it? The battle with the slime monster had revealed that I still wasn't at the top of the food chain. But it wasn't like I would fight that thing every day. Of course, the moment you let your foot off the gas someone would overtake you.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I filed it away as a problem for another time. I had many more pressing issues to deal with. The first of which was what do I do about this situation? It sounded like they either wanted me to fight something for them or they wanted to join my kingdom. If it's the former then no problem killing a powerful monster is a win-win for me if it's the latter then it was tricky. I had no ill will for the new black panthers and in truth, I agreed with a lot of what they had to say but what did that mean now? There was probably no "America" left and discrimination seemed to be gone. Or rather it was about cultivators and non-cultivators. If I invited even more of the latter would that make the situation worse?

Of course, there was Keshaun. Would he be happy not to be in charge? He didn't have the power to stop me as far as I knew but he could poison the well so to speak. Having them under my banner did have benefits though. It would further increase my population which would help me get new buildings. Also having people with more experience than me especially in leading would be a big plus. Lastly, I needed people who could keep a calm head and manage things without me being around. What just happened further enforced that point. The more I thought about it the more I felt like I was in the unwinnable position. I decided to stop my musing and focus on cultivation. One benefit of being in the middle of some forest was the energy purity. It was slightly better.

I was pulled out of my cultivation session an hour later. The abrupt interruption was irritating but I let it go. I was led on a short walk before we arrived in what was some sort of atrium. One of the few windows was here and the long wooden table felt out of place amongst the drab decorations. They had placed a dinner table in the middle of an office room. The food on the other hand smelled wonderful. It was steak and potatoes and the food even had a slight spirituality to it. Not enough to be considered cultivating but enough to be noticed.

"I take it you find this acceptable," Keshaun asked from the head of the table.

I blinked, looked up, and finally saw the man. I slowly nodded and took my seat. "Is no one else joining us?"

He shook his head and raised his glass to his lips. "No, it was decided that too many people might not have the best influence on our conversation. That and we didn't want to risk you feeling surrounded." He took a drink and slowly licked his lips. He placed the glass down on the table as if it were a motion he had done thousands of times before this. This dinner felt more like a dinner with some noble than a man in need.

"So what is it you need?"

"A man of action. I can appreciate that. In an attempt to respect your time, I will be blunt. We want your help. The people who are trapped here are similar to me. According to one government or another, we don't exist or are long dead."

"Why would that matter? Those countries are gone." I added as I sliced into my steak.

"In a way that's true in others, it isn't. The United World Government refuses to offer us its protection because we are "International criminals" or rather enemies of the world now."

I chuckled and began to follow the mental path he was laying for me. "That is a unique turn of phrase."

He smiled and took another sip from his glass. "I am glad you think so. It has a certain arrogance we Americans can appreciate. We attempted to join the Commonwealth next of course but they weren't interested. Most of us aren't cultivators. This means to them we aren't worth the time and effort it would take to strengthen those of us who can fight. Nor do they want to waste spirit stones on boosting our levels."

"Which means you all are in a difficult spot. You can either go alone or search for a third option."

He nodded. "Indeed, we have heard rumors of course. Other continents with their factions but we have no way of finding them. That is until we found you."

"And I am supposed to assume that you stumbling across me just as I emerged from underground was a coincidence?"

He chuckled at that and shook his head. "I would love it if you did but no. We felt the rumbles as something did battle beneath us. We weren't sure if it was some horrible monster or a natural disaster so we stationed people at the few subterranean entrances near us. When my people sent word that a man had come walking out without a scratch on him."

"You had to see it for yourself."

He smiled. "I must say I am not unimpressed. I had heard about your strength and ruthlessness but not about your beauty. Is that something you got from the tutorial?"

My eyes widened at that and my mind went blank. "Uh n—no I didn't I mean not really. My appearance is due to several things." When I saw the look of amusement in his eyes my own narrowed. This son of bitch had me stuttering like a teenager.

"Yet another thing that was stolen from us old men. Nonetheless, I am sure you understand what I am asking you for."

I nodded. "I do but what can you provide me? You have to understand that non-cultivators especially those who are still using mundane weapons aren't exactly the most useful. The monsters are getting stronger while the guns will stay the same."

He smiled like I had maneuvered right into his trap. "Loyalty. We have nowhere else to go which means unlike your other allies we are with you no matter what. On top of that, most of us have been in this hellhole for years. We don't blanch at the bloodshed nor your reasons for doing so. That isn't to say we are all monsters but days of "Enhanced Interrogation" can color your viewpoint."

I slowly nodded and had to admit it wasn't a bad reason. A sort of secret police or loyal army would be convenient but it didn't deal with the power issue. "You all aren't strong enough. Not to fight real cultivators. Especially as the level disparity increased. Unless I could fund their levels. The academy was powerful but it wouldn't be enough unless I could boost the amount of people it could support.

"That is true but we are willing to bet on your strength being enough of a deterrent. Things won't remain as chaotic as they are now. In time the world will calm and this disparity between cultivators and non will fade."

"You think the System will just go away?"

He shook his head. "No, I think that we will find a way to work together. Especially if someone who can show kindness to both sides is in charge."

"So it sounds like you all are betting on me for everything."

"Loyalty and knowledge for protection. I mean no offense but you do not look like someone with a lot of leadership experience. Especially not in a cutthroat reality."

I chuckled. "And I take it you intend to be the person to teach me all about it? Angling to be my advisor or some such role?"

He laughed. "It seems like we know each other so well already."

"I will consider your offer. First I need to return to Amara and check how such a thing would work. Were you wanting your people to move or extend my protection to this place?"

"You need to let us leave." The abruptness of his reply and grip on his glass were the first signs of whatever slept beneath. The calm mask had finally slipped. "We refuse to stay here any longer than we need to."

"Very well. First, though you have to answer a question." I waited for him to nod before continuing. "What happened to your System hub? The tutorial workers aid wherever enough people gathered there would be one and a quest. Yet you don't have one and none of the people who visited the tutorial earned one?"

He shook his head and let out a suffering sigh. "The tutorial goers didn't appear here outside of the small handful. Who happened across this place? Those people did not perform very well so they simply didn't get one. Your second question is more interesting. We did receive one once but none of us had the power to use it. We fought with each other rather than the younger ones did but we got tired of it. The hub disappeared soon after we agreed to stop fighting. According to one of the cultivators we had lost our chances to be governors?"

That was an interesting revelation. It did guarantee that they wouldn't be able to steal Amara from me. If I assumed that was how the hubs work of course. As much as it bothered me I had to admit the offer was pretty good. There was a lot to gain as well as lose. The rest of the meal passed in silence as I considered what my next steps should be. When we were done I headed back to my room and mentally prepared myself for tomorrow. I would need to head back to Amara, speak with Saanite, and then come back here if need be. I would also need to orchestrate the transportation of all these people.