In truth, Mi-Yung is somewhat clueless with young Walkers as most like her would be. Even though she used to be one herself, her time of raising was in the time of the early Federation. Victor rescued her when she was a young Walker a few years younger than current William, so she knows a lot about it, but not much as she grew up.
“Then what about the Library? I am familiar with it quite a bit.” Mi-Yung tries a different strategy to force herself upon him.
“Ehm... the same person who showed me the city is the same as who showed me the Library.” William keeps going with an apologetic tone. He has a feeling that it is not that great of an idea to get involved with Mi-Yung. It is so early on and he still feels strange after the last night.
“What has that person of yours shown you? I am quite curious about that?” She asks in disbelief, with a speck of doubt about what someone other than her would explain better.
“Nothing much at all. Only the Library where I will spend the rest of the weeks and basics of the Federation.” William says the truth. He has no need to trouble this lady with some unnecessary lies. After all, he had yet to get familiar with her, unlike Luke, who is honest and quite a simple person when he thinks about it.
Mi-Yung, on the other hand, seems like a more distinct and special person. He could not put his finger on the reason, but he could smell the person in power from a mile away. Most likely, she has her hands in a few companies or working for the Federation. As a Rank 6 Walker, he could not imagine it being something else.
William guesses this from his experience with Kaufman, who also seems that way... But he has a casual air around him, while Mi-Yung has one of a kind atmosphere to her.
“Alright, I will accompany you today, since I have no work.” Mi-Yung smiles, while giving no room for negotiations.
“No need. I can manage it myself.”
“What?! Don't you want some mentor who would show you the 6th floor? I can take you there. You know?” She offers, while not knowing much about what William experienced there in the past days.
“I have already been on the 6th floor...” William mutters in hesitation.
“How? They should not lead you there all by yourself.” Mi-Yung assumes the obviousness. She knows the restrictions put on the 6th floor. That includes a young Walker who needs someone in charge of him, to look at things on the 6th floor.
“Mister Kaufman accompanied me to the single door... through this card.” William shows the full-pass card from his pocket.
The card disappears in a blink, as Mi-Yung catches it before William has any change of heart. “WHAT!” she utters a single word while staring at each side of the card in bewilderment.
“THAT old fox?! Did you sign a contract with him already?” Mi-Yung straight up asks, the single worry in her mind.
“Contract? He only talked to me. I have signed nothing.” William says with a raised brow, with no clue what her problem is.
“He would not give this to anyone... What in the world is he planning...” Mi-Yung wonders about the possibilities of an unknown variable that is the Kaufman. In truth, she has no plans for William at all by herself. Though his Emblem is looking good, with a similar color variant through the bloodline of his father.
She doesn't know if William will be any good like his father, who reached Rank 6 before turning 30. It led to a significant change in her heart, being saved by him. She reaches rank 6 in her 30ies, which is still very impressive. Though, she doesn't look her age.
“Nevermind... I will talk to him by myself if he has some trouble with you.” Mi-Yung flicks the card back to William and hopes her worries are false.
“I doubt he has any troubles with me. He showed me around the part of the beginning of the 6th floor. It was quite incredible.”
“Yeah, I bet. Although the most interesting things will wait until you will reach further ranks as a Walker.”
“Miss Mi-Yung... I know the general ways ranks are, but... What sort of things they might imply for the Walkers themselves? I had no clue about it even in the bit of information on the 6th floor.”
“Since Kaufman showed you the beginner room, I am not surprised. Of course, it is further researched in other rooms. Director is quite reluctant to share too much with young Walkers. That is the reason even I won't be able to help too much because of whatever decision they will have.”
“BUT! That won't stop me from telling you something myself.” Mi-Yung says with a mischievous smile at William. Small rules, or community restrictions, she knows, hold very little meaning if one is telling them with sincerity, or... in secret.
“Rank is the definition of the process of following the System of your Emblem. It goes to unknown lengths, and not many people understand how they all work together. We are born with them, yet they possess very little until Walker reaches adulthood. Isn't it strange?
“So emblem themselves are the reason... How come?” William wonders out loud.
“Because everything revolves around them. Such as the System put in place after the Awakening. That or follow up through the passing of adulthood through the forceful Awakening.”
“So it is the most important thing... The Examination?” William assumes from her words. He knows what he will go through is a forceful Awakening of his Emblem. That will enable him to go through the so-called System and become a proper Walker.
“It is. Though, you don't need to be too nervous about them. Not one bit of change could be done about the result.” Mi-Yung reassures William about the issue she could very much guess from his face alone.
The beginning path of a Walker is the toughest. She and many more know the struggles that it comes with. Bad upbringing, poor condition, not enough talent, and a few more reasons are deterministic of the future of a Walker. The biggest being the survivability out in the wild Outside. The Dark beings are not asking the Walkers whether or not they are ready to fight them. That is the common sense of nature.
“That at least weakens my worry for one bit. Thank you for telling me that.”
“It is common sense that you don't know. I know very well how little is known Outside. My Korea was like that too, before it fell.” Mi-Yung says while reminiscent of the past.
“Then why is it like that? So little is shared with the Outside.”
“That... Is more complicated than I am willing to admit. Let this be for now. I will definitely teach you well, as your father did to me!” she declares in enthusiasm and proudness.
“My father taught you?”
“Yea. He trained me for a while, after taking me from destroyed Korea, or what could be called Korea at that time.”
“So you know my father rather well... unlike me,” William says in a saddening manner. He could not remember his father all that much. Although, if he was in the military like Luke, he must have a ton of work and mission. That would explain why he was not around when he grew up.
That, or he could not remember his own father. Both things are equally worrying, but understandable. Luke's words would confirm it, while William was very young back when they separated.
“I can't really say many positives or negatives... Your father was an excellent teacher, a person, and a soldier. Righteous and worrisome about the aspects of humanity. He was a hero in my eyes and someone who was willing to help many people. Young Walkers, Outsiders, or citizens of the Federation.”
Signing William does not want to keep reminding himself of these pessimistic feelings of his parents. Although Mi-Yung's words are giving him much-needed information. It makes him hesitant about whatever is in front of him. He wants to focus on the present, so he would not be sad or helpless of the past.
“Don't feel too bad. I am here for you!” Mi-Yung declares in a reassuring tone as she notices her words having a small impact on him.
“Yes... YES! I don't want to think of that either, but why is everything revolving around my parents in this case? Luke said it as well, and my surname is definitely from my father. It all makes sense.”
“Luke mentioned something?” Mi-Yung piqued her eyebrow as she asks.
“I mean... He told me few things in the helicopter after he got me out of the camp.”
“I can see that... Your parents... they were an interesting topic. But it doesn't matter that much now. You are here, in the same place as your parents, most likely started as well.”
“Miss MI-Yung. I understand the importance of my parents, but can you tell me more about the Ranks of the Walkers? I want to know more about it. Mister Kaufman even mentioned something about Rank 0 from my visit with him on the 6th floor.”
“Rank 0? Those are only the pre-awakening rank, where very few effects are there. I am surprised Kaufman told you about this. It usually waits after the examinations when the Walkers are ready to voice their choice. They can wait for most things after reaching Rank 1, where the true System of the Walkers starts. Do you understand it?” Mi-Yung asks in a way that sounds much more reliable than Luke.
“So I am Rank 0?”
“Yes.”
“Then what is Arcanist for Walker's Rank?” William asks the question he never had a chance to ask Luke or Kaufman. This interested him since the moment he had seen Luke summon his magical cube. He saw the sight of him cleaving the Jawran in half because of his Arcalist.
“Where did you learn that term?” Mi-Yung asks while raising both eyebrows. Sounding a little more serious this time than before.
“Luke showed it to me in my retrieval,” William says the truth.
“He did? Interesting... Arcalist... It is a term to use in manifesting the Emblem's powers, or the System. It happens in irregular paths, where Walkers can get through it n early ranks, while others won't even touch in higher ranks. Everything is rather complicated, as you have already guessed, I bet.” Mi-Yung explains in complicated emotions.
“How come it differs so much... I was told that so many times already.”
“Because it is hard to guess. In the examination, there is a crucial step of awakening the Emblem a few years earlier, which adds quite a bit of a strain on young Walkers. Everything afterward is an unpleasant experience with even some forms of a negative impact on the Emblems. BUT! you don't have to be scared or nervous. You will be fine.” She shook her hands in front of William while undercutting the examination to make him feel better.
Though, it does not work as much.
William sights and asks a few more important questions that Mi-Yung answers. Much to his surprise, she is nice about it.
It all seems the system of the Walkers is much more chaotic than he thought. Everything revolves around the so-called energy efficiency which would awaken the Emblem to a new height. Dealing improvements and higher Rank 1 to reach the proper start of the Emblems is achieved by efficiency.
She even explains the intricacies of Rank 0 that he would never understand if it wasn't for her good explanation. The way this rank is achieved is when the Emblem is undergoing changes or effects somewhere in the life of the young Walker. It could be a minor thing and it could even have some strange properties. Like a strand of the flow of energy. Kinetic force. Magnetic force. Change in gravity. Slivers of elements and so on.
Be its elements such as light, wind, and fire, they are the magic of the Emblems. They could also have some even stranger unexplainable things like gravity manipulation, partial invisibility, extra strength, and granting powerful buffs. All the while, its wielder is not even at Rank 1.
William does not understand it all that much, while even he, himself, is unsure about him being Rank 0. Apart from the fact that his Emblem could sometime disappear from his forearm, he could not guess anything. Even Mi-Yung's words of him, being Rank 0 come from her experience where every young Walker will be Rank 0 around his age. If not, then it is a reason to be worried.
Alas, as with the strangeness of the apocalypse, where the alien-like monsters hunt and eat humanity, such things as worrying about the Emblem is a basic problem.
After some thought, William decided to not worry too much about his strange Emblem. At least for the time being, until he becomes familiar with the System, which Mi-Yung mentioned in brief moments.