"First of all, how should I address you, mister?"

Jay had to ask the relevant questions first before agreeing to anything.

For now, he decided to go with the flow since he was already exposed anyway.

Frankly, he was relieved after observing the gentleman's attitude toward the matter.

It seemed that people like him were not that unique.

This was better because it would technically lower his value and paint a smaller target on his back.

For now, he could only adjust his course of action to the new circumstances and try to make the most out of it.

"Arthas Rodriguez, at your service."

The gentleman did a slight bow with his head.

"Arthas… As in the game character?"

Jay was confused since the gentleman seemed much older than a certain game.

"I seem to hear that a lot from our younger associates. Well, yes, we share the same name by coincidence.

I'm not familiar with the character, though. I'm not into video games like you youngsters."

"Oh, okay. Hmm, you said earlier that you wanted to take me in as a student. But what do you do exactly, Mr. Arthas?"

"Good question. But first, let me take care of security measures. Also, don't be too formal. Just call me uncle. Or if you don’t feel like it, call me sir."

"Alright, sir."

Arthas sighed at the young man's quick response.

It was understandable though, considering that he was technically a random stranger to the young man at the moment.

Although Mr. Arthas said he would do something, nothing changed in the environment.

Jay was about to ask the older man when the latter spoke first.

"It might seem like nothing happened from your perspective, but people outside the domain I created would subconsciously ignore us.

I know you have a lot of questions, but you will have your answers in due time."

Jay recognized that this was a deeper topic he wasn't qualified to understand yet, so he could only nod his head in understanding.

"Alright. Let's continue. Before I tell you about what we do, let me open with another topic first.

People like us are collectively considered ascended humans, and we refer to ourselves as ascendants. Now, how many ascendants do you think exist in the city right now?"

"Hmm, maybe around hundreds, sir?"

'Ascendants' like them should be extremely rare, Otherwise, it would've already been public knowledge by now.

"Not quite. The registered ascendants in this city alone number in the thousands, with a few hidden ones here and there.

Considering the entire country would scale it up to the hundreds of thousands."

Jay squinted his eyes in thought. If there were that many of them, how come the public had no clue about it?

"You must be thinking that society was too quiet for numbers like these. But you must also consider that people like us have existed since time immemorial.

The systems in place are mature enough to deal with most things. However, some anomalies do appear from time to time. That's where we come in."

"So, you're like the police for ascendants, sir?"

"Not quite. Aside from ascendants, there are many other supernatural phenomena, but that is a lesson for another time.

So, that's a glimpse of what we do and what I will be training you for. Do you have any other questions for now?"

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"If ascendants have existed for a long time, surely some people had attempted to monopolize power, right, sir?"

Jay felt that this was an important topic, considering that he greatly valued his autonomy, or a semblance of it at least.

"Ah, right. You may have heard of the saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. The same applies to us, albeit in a more literal interpretation where people are indeed struck down to death.

To better grasp the idea, I should tell you first that there are no clear divisions of strength between ascendants. There isn't even a unified power system in our country, much less the entire world.

It means that even a neophyte could defeat a master given enough luck. Of course, it doesn't mean that disparities between mastery don't exist. It's only that different abilities are good in different situations.

Since the playing field is not that uneven, it is very difficult for individuals or even entire factions to claim dominance.

Long story short, consider it a form of mutual restraint but countless parties of indeterminate strength are involved. If you didn't know your place, you wouldn't even know how you died.

But that's just the summary though. The nuances, at least those that I'm aware of, are not something I can convey without a lot of time and effort.

So, you'll just have to learn things on your own along the way."

The situation was much better than Jay expected.

Of course, he was still hesitant to interact with other ascendants, at least until he gathered a reasonable volume of knowledge regarding metaphysics.

"Alright, sir. I still have another question though. Why do you want to take me in as a student? Are there incentives in your organization for taking in newbies?"

Jay was aware that nothing came for free.

Although Mr. Arthas had been nice so far and he didn't sense any sign of falsehood from him, the fact still stands that no sane person would do things that wouldn't benefit them in some way.

Even genuinely benevolent people did good things because it made them happy, which was essentially another form of reward.

Arthas didn't want to deceive the young man, whom he had a good impression of.

There was indeed something else on his mind when he wanted to take Jay in as a student, aside from recognizing the latter's attitude and potential.

"Alright, you got me.

There's no direct incentive for us to nurture talents, although we don't mind having a grateful helper on our side. But before I tell you my true purpose, let me tell you something else first.

Although there are no dominant factions in ascendant society, interest groups still exist. They may take the form of clans, sects, guilds, or even cults. But essentially, they are mostly collectives centered around specific inheritances or cultures.

Most of them have developed systematic ways of ascendance, which they had kept within their circles for generations. Ascendants of this nature are referred to as legacy ascendants.

On the other hand, ascendants who had inadvertently awakened their potential are referred to as natural ascendants.

The founders of most interest groups were most likely natural ascendants, who had found ways to impart their advantages through bloodlines, rituals, contracts, or even other obscure methods.

As you can infer, natural ascendants tend to have no support groups of their own, which sets them back in terms of metaphysical research and resource exchange.

There's no conflict between these two types of ascendants though, except for a few legacy individuals who look down on naturals for the latter's lack of knowledge and heritage. But that's just how it is in any form of society.

Now, back to your question. I am a natural ascendant just like you. My ability deals with information, and I inferred that we are similar in this regard, though I won't ask you for details and I suggest you also don't let others know.

I am trying to build an interest group, preferably with people possessing information-related abilities. You seem to be an astute young man. You should know how powerful information can be, especially in the right hands.

So, have I answered your question?"

"Of course, sir, thank you for the clarification. To be honest, I'm already inclined to join right now, but I still have another concern."

"Is this about the safety of your family and friends?"

Arthas had observed Jay well enough to anticipate this matter.

"Yes, sir. Should I worry about their safety?"

"Hmm. Most natural ascendants have similar concerns, considering that our family and friends are most likely ordinary people.

Although ascendants who include unrelated ordinary people in disputes are shunned in our society, it's best not to tempt fate by relying on the whims of others.

Fortunately, our organization owns an artifact that can detect metaphysical threats in advance. Of course, its coverage is limited, so its functions are only reserved for the members' immediate family.

Bear in mind that it only predicts threats in advance and only metaphysics-related ones. You still have to resolve things on your own."

Jay was about to interrupt with a hesitant face but Arthas raised his hand and continued speaking.

"Of course, I will also teach you additional methods to ensure their safety by utilizing your own advantages.

For ascendants, it's not always good to rely on external objects for something as crucial as safety, since that would inhibit your desire for improvement due to the diminishing necessity to develop your ability.

And if all else fails, your support group will lend you a hand if you ask for it. I can guarantee it."

To be fair, no one can truly guarantee absolute safety even in the most mundane of situations.

Perhaps everything was so new and strange to Jay that he couldn't help but let his cautiousness evolve into paranoia.

Everything that he had learned so far had stoked the adventurous spirit within him.

It would be a pity if he missed this opportunity due to fear from the unknown.

"Oh, then that's fine, sir. It's just that I heard many strange, new things today, and I let them get to my head.

Sorry if I came across as paranoid, sir. I hope you'll still take me in."

"Haha, don't be ridiculous. If you weren't concerned about this kind of thing, I wouldn't have asked you to become my student.

So, are you accepting me as your teacher?"

"Good day, teacher."

Jay was unsure which gesture should accompany his words, so he ended up making an awkward bow.

"Dispense with the formalities, young man. There's a reason why I chose the teacher and student association instead of more formal ones like master and disciple.

I have a more casual style, you see, and I figured you're also the same."

"Well, sorry for that, sir. I just thought I should make a gesture of respect to my teacher.

I am a keen adherent of the saying, 'A teacher for a day, a father for a lifetime.’"

Jay said with a somewhat serious expression, leaving his sincerity in doubt.

"Hahaha, what a good young man. I haven't even started teaching you, yet you're already buttering up to me.

Well, if you're that eager to learn, let's start your internship tonight."

Arthas' team had their shift tonight, just in time to give this young man a taste of the world of ascendants.