That companies saw the seeker only as numbers was disgusting and scary at the same time. Seekers were people! Each of them certainly had different reasons for becoming one. Some did it because of money, others for fame, for some it was a challenge, and for those like me a way to become stronger. All these dreams were destroyed by the companies that didn’t give a shit about them.
“Sorry, miss Grey, that sounded worse than I wanted!” said Enola, seeing my reaction to her words. But what else should I have thought but be disgusted when companies hired new seekers just to keep up the numbers.
“I have reason to be biased against companies, against seekers, but that doesn’t excuse me. It wasn’t professional of me.” she apologized and bowed slightly. “I understand if you want to file a complaint.”
“What? No!” I said, shaking my head sharply. I had no reason to do such a thing when she apologized for her mistake. Plus, it was not that big a deal.
She nodded, “Thank you!”
“Oh, not at all,” I muttered, a little confused by what just happened. “Then why are the companies suddenly so interested in me?”
“There’s always someone in the lobby listening and watching, either directly from the companies or freelancers, who give the companies tips for money,” Enola explained, which forced me to look around the hall. It was hard to find anyone among the many people in it, though.
I looked back at the receptionist, “So they heard me talk to you?”
“Probably,” she agreed.
“... but why the interest?” I asked, realizing that she had only partially answered my question.
“If I remember correctly, when you first asked me about seekers, I told you that according to the companies, there is always a lack of them,” she said and sighed, massaging her temples. “My previous thoughtless harsh words were not meant for all companies, only for the more...dubious ones that should not be allowed to exist, in my opinion. In any case, most of them are trying to expand their ranks, not because of losses in their ranks but to broaden their scope. They try to recruit talented people to get deeper into the labyrinth and bring more raw materials out of it.”
“So they think I have talent?” I asked, pleasantly surprised.
Enola shook her head with a sigh, “Do you? Unless one of my colleagues registered you as a seeker and sent you into the first floor, I’m sure you haven’t been there yet.”
I realized what she was trying to tell me. Companies couldn’t know if I had talent or not when I hadn’t visited the labyrinth yet. They hadn’t seen me fight unless one of the guards had told them about my pitiful struggle in the barracks.
“Couldn’t the trainers give them a tip?” I asked, wondering who could tell them some information about me.
“Only trustworthy people verified by Castiana City Hall can do the work of trainers. If they break the principles, they will receive strict penalties, but I’m not saying it’s not impossible. If you insist, we can ...” she said, pausing, flipping through a book she’d pulled from under the counter. “We can ask Nila Tenderfire and Razso Sharpfang a few questions, verify that they adhere to the principles they have undertaken to honor.”
I raised my hands, stopping her, “Don’t do it! It’s not necessary. I...I was just asking.”
Even though it irritated me, it didn’t bother me enough to make the two angry at me. Razso had no reason to do so, as he told me straight away that he would introduce me to his acquaintance. I felt a certain respect for Tenderfire and didn’t believe she would sink so low.
In the end, it didn’t matter so much, it was only a matter of time before they found out about me, or I would start looking for companies myself. I just thought I had more time and was caught off guard by them.
The receptionist nodded, “You don’t have to worry so much about those who approach you here in city hall. I don’t like it, but they do it with Castiana City Hall’s permission. They’re not the best companies, though. The best don’t recruit like this. To get into these, you have to show them your talent, convince them of your worth.”
I smiled, remembering when my friends and I started job hunting after graduating from school. Dozens of candidates often applied for lucrative positions and had to fight for it if they wanted to get it, while the unwanted ones were vacant for months, and the employer had to be more active in finding new employees.
I guess some things don’t change no matter what world you are in. I breathed.
“Thanks, Enola,” I said, grateful for the information. I was about to leave, but when I looked behind me, and at the people waiting in line, I thought.
“I don’t mean to sound rude, but why is there always a line? Wouldn’t it be better if there were more people at the reception?” I asked her, hoping she wouldn’t take it the wrong way. I didn’t want to suggest that she was doing her job wrong.
She sighed and looked at me wearily, “City hall has a limited budget.”
Her answer was brief, but it spoke for itself. They had the same problem at the city hall as at the barracks.
I thanked her once again and left city hall. Outside on the street, I paid attention to my surroundings to see if anyone was watching me, maybe a little too paranoid after hearing about companies. No one caught my eye, but it didn’t take away the strange feeling I had on the back of my neck.
My next stop was the library, but my attention was caught by a stall selling fried meatballs on a stick on the way there. I was nervous when I bought it, but the wonderful smell and my hunger were stronger than my anxiety. I got pretty hungry during training. Moreover, my wings were still regrowing.
Well, one wing, as the right one was already in full length.
I paused in front of the library door for a moment, holding only two bare sticks in my hand. The day before yesterday, I was taken from here by Vara and Elira to the barracks. I wanted to tell the old librarian that I was fine, even though I did not know if he was worried.
When I entered, the silence I was looking forward to, enveloped me. Bud, the librarian was not in the chair where I found him the first time. I refrained from calling to him, sure he wouldn’t appreciate it. The library was supposed to be quiet, so I just sat down in an armchair, determined to wait until he arrives, hoping he heard the bell ring as I entered.
I heard the librarian long before he emerged from the bookshelves. That’s why when he came, I was already standing on my feet, smiling at the old man, who, to my surprise, seemed a little untidy with dark circles under his eyes, tousled hair, and beard. There was determination in his eyes, though, not fatigue.
When he saw me, he smiled broadly, “Miss Grey, you don’t even know how happy I am to see you!”
“Well, nice to see you too, Mr. Sandoval,” I said, after hesitating how to respond to his unexpectedly warm welcome.
The old librarian immediately noticed my regrowing wing, and his reaction surprised me.
“For Traina’s sake! What happened to you?!” he cursed. It wasn’t a typical swear word I knew, but I already knew that Traiana was used by people to swear. I did not know who she was, nor that the librarian could curse.
Shrugging, I waved him off, “It’s nothing, I’m fine. This wing will regrow, but what happened to you? Did the library get attacked too?”
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Mr. Sandoval laughed, “What?! No! I immersed myself into the books and was up all night.”
“Aha,” I nodded, knowing what he was talking about. It also happened to me a few times. Especially when the story I read was so fascinating that I couldn’t tear myself away from the book’s pages. Even though I knew I would be sorry in the morning, I had to read one more chapter and then another.
“You should rest, look like you need it,” I told him.
“Nonsense! I haven’t felt better in years,” said the librarian, rubbing his beard, straightening it. “I even got a few levels, which has not happened to me for ages.”
“Well, I didn’t try, though,” he added, thoughtfully.
I looked at him immediately.
[Librarian: lvl 73]
If my memory serves me well, his level was 71 the day before yesterday, which meant that he gained two levels during the time I didn’t see him. How long has it been? A day and a half, two days?
What did he do?! I shouted in my mind.
I went through a fucking hell yesterday, helped catch the two wanted criminals, yet I didn’t get a single level, and he read books in peace at his library and got two levels?! I tried hard to justify that, tried not feeling wronged and envious. But life was not fair, I had known that for a long time.
“I wish you so!” I said, swallowing the bitterness in my mouth.
“It’s thanks to you, miss Grey,” Mr. Sandoval said.
Now I was confused! I didn’t see how I could be the cause of his growth. I wasn’t even in the library during that time. I wondered what I did or what skill I used that could be the cause, secretly hoping it might help me too.
Librarian saw my confusion, “I searched for the origin of your mutations. I had to recall the books I read years ago, reread them, look for details in them that would guide me in the right direction in my search.”
“That was enough to get you two levels?” I asked, taken aback by how easily he had gained those levels. “I’d think your class would be about reading books.”
“It is, but if I wanted to gain a level only by reading books, I would have to read hundreds of them,” he said, shaking his head.
Well, I could see how something like that could turn passion into annoyance. It was better than having to listen to my “master”, though. But I didn’t say that out loud.
“Didn’t I tell you not to think so straightforwardly?” He asked, looking at me questioningly.
I smiled, nodding in agreement, “I was actually wondering why I didn’t level-up myself the night before.”
“Oh, what happened?” He asked as if he didn’t know what had happened.
“The barracks were attacked,” I said, his question confusing me.
I thought that the entire city must have known about the attack, that the explosions woke everyone up, and Mr. Sandoval, according to his words and appearance, had been up all night, maybe even two. So how could he have missed something like that?!
Old librarian rubbed his beard, “Hmm...Interesting...if you have time, I’ll be happy to hear about it. I have a few questions for you. More specifically, about your mutations.”
His words took my breath away, “You found something about my mutation?”
“I came across some information during my...search.” he nodded.
How could I refuse something like that? It was an opportunity to find out more about the changes my body has gone through, about myself. So, Mr. Sandoval and I settled under one of the magical windows.
As it turns out, the reason the old librarian didn’t know about the attack on the Castiana City Guards’ Barracks was one of his skills, which muffled the noise coming from outside to the library. Mr. Sandoval used it all the time. Hence, while he was in the library, there was silence, which I loved so much.
So since he did not know what was going on, I told him an abbreviated version of the attack and what had happened to me.
“I can’t figure out why I didn’t gain any experience when the system told me I was in the group that killed the two,” I said while holding my tail, frustrated by my inability to get to the next level while this old man got two without wanting.
“Why do you think you didn’t level up?” He asked me instead of answering.
I sighed and thought, “The first thing that came to my mind was that I didn’t get an order from anyone. They were wanted, though! I am a citizen of the Sahal, so shouldn’t this arrest warrant replace the order I need? On the other hand, I didn’t know there was one at the time. Maybe it must be something I’m aware of. Then the question is why the system acknowledged my participation in their defeat, why was I part of the group?”
“The fact that you were counted in that group has nothing to do with a contribution in the fight, miss Grey,” the librarian said and thought for a moment. “When the seekers take down a monster or beast in the labyrinth, they are all counted in the group that killed it. Even a healer, who did not touch the monster at all, did not use magic or skill on it during the whole fight. The system simply acknowledges that he was part of the group that did it.”
“Okay,” I nodded and breathed. That was new information, but you could say that I actively helped in that fight. I could understand that my efforts to slow down Denholm did not bring me any experience, despite how much I suffered as a result. After all, I didn’t physically hurt him in any way. I poisoned him for a brief moment, though.
Disgusting as it was, I bit Morton in the neck and ripped off a piece. This injury, which the mind mage suffered due to me, slowed him down, weakened him. So why was I still at level 92?!!
I gritted my teeth in frustration, wishing the system had something like an exp-bar. I didn’t mind that there was no health bar, mana bar, or stamina bar. It wasn’t hard to feel how much mana I had, how tired I was, and I could see my injuries in such detail that it made me sick. But the fact that I didn’t see how much experience I had, how much I had left to gain to the next level drove me crazy.
I thought hard, “Hmm, my contribution must have been so meager that it wasn’t enough for the level-up!”
The librarian looked at me, “You said an arrest warrant has been issued for them. Let me ask you who issued it?”
“The Empire?” I asked, unsure of my answer. I didn’t know the official who issued the arrest warrant.
“It is not my intention to offend you, but in this case, was your new master the empire?” he asked, waiting for my answer.
It took me a while to come up with an answer, or rather another question, “Can an organization be a slave’s master?”
“No,” he said sharply, shaking his head, “[Slave] can only have one master, one person, and the same goes for slave collars.”
The question, then, was who was behind the empire.
“Emperor ... does Sahal have an emperor or an empress?” I asked because I didn’t know. If anyone ever told me, I forgot. Pressing my tail to my chest, I expected the librarian to laugh or scold me for my ignorance, but he didn’t.
“Here’s your answer, miss Grey!” he said with a serious face.
“I’m not following you,” I said, confused because he didn’t answer my question.
“The Sahal Empire has both an Empress and an Emperor, but the ruler is Emperor Lionel Sahal. Do you know what he looks like?” he asked.
In the cellar where I spent most of my life on Eleaden, there was no picture of the Sahal Emperor on the wall, and I didn’t come across any in Castiana either. To be honest, I wasn’t looking for it. So I shook my head because I still didn’t understand what he meant.
“I think you’re right about the arrest warrant. Even though you didn’t know about the arrest warrant at the time, you helped the empire that issued it. The problem, in my opinion, is how you see the Sahal and the Emperor. Is this your home? Is he your ruler?” he asked.
Here was my answer, so I smiled, “Sorry, no!”
I didn’t feel at home here, Sahal was not my country, not in my heart, and the emperor? How could he be someone who should, in this case, replace my master’s position when I had never seen him, when I had no idea who he was.
“You have nothing to apologize for, miss Grey. After all, you’ve only been here a few days, haven’t you?” said Mr. Sandoval, and I was grateful for his words.
“Today is the seventh day since I regained my freedom, the sixth day in Castiana,” I said, not having to think about it. However painful or stressful it may have been, every day I was free was a blessing to me.
The librarian nodded, “Some lucky ones will find a place they can call home right away, some will take longer, and others will never find it. It took me years to settle here. You’re still young and have plenty of time to find such a place.”
Well, now the librarian really sounded like an old man. From his point of view, I was young, but at my age, more than half of my female friends already had a family or were expectant mothers, and that was more than a year ago. My fear at the time that I didn’t have a boyfriend now seemed foolish to me. A week ago, my biggest concern was whether I would live to see the next day, how much I would suffer.
It was a period of my life I didn’t like to remember, bringing me dark thoughts along with anxiety, fear, and anger. So I took a deep breath and instead pondered about what the librarian had told me.
I understood he was talking about slaves who regained their freedom, but why did he mention himself.
“Mr. Sandoval, you were ... you used to be a slave?” I asked him carefully.
The enthusiasm and energy he had a minute ago were gone, “Sometimes I talk too much,” he sighed and paused for a moment. “That was a long time ago. I was born into slavery, but I ran away before they forced me to choose the class you have.”
I nodded silently, waiting for him to tell me more.
“That’s in the past! Let’s talk about something else,” he said, smiling sadly. It was hard for me to talk about what I went through too, I didn’t even want to think about it, so I understood him and asked no more.