Shun POV:
Two dark yellow eyes remained fixated on me. Thick blonde hair reached down to an exposed waist from the opening of a cloak. The woman rested a hand on her hip, waiting for my response to her reveal.
“...Why are you here, Portia?”
I aimed the gun at her forehead while her lips formed a somewhat amused smile.
All the information on Portia was backlogged into the appropriate categories in my mind, including her reaction to the question regarding Enigma. However, Portia’s appearance here meant that the mark I put on myself was unrelated to Chloe Ravendawn.
It was... unexpected but plausible.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Portia, a Leader within Chaos, and I would like to recruit you into our organisation, Shun.”
“...”
There were several things that bothered me with her introduction.
The first was that I had no information on any organisation called Chaos. The second was the now certain likelihood of Enigma either being like one of these groups or a syndicate with sub-branches. The third was that a Leader within Chaos was working as a receptionist in Central Guild, and the fourth was that same Leader was trying to recruit me.
Most of these issues confirmed one thing: I had leverage here. However, that was still an assumption. I needed to verify my current hypothesis.
“Why? What is Chaos?”
Portia raised an eyebrow, taking away the previous amusement she found in my actions. Her dark yellow eyes were guarded, and her facial muscles showed little tell compared to before.
‘Was her previous reaction in Shako deliberate?’
If that was the case, then there was no mark, but a hint of future support.
“...Have you been living under a rock? Did you just happen to hear about Enig—“
*Bang*
A bullet split the air apart beside her cheek before travelling through the group behind her.
“I asked you a question.”
Aside from the blood rushing to Portia’s cheeks, her eyes curved upwards. The light within them flickered, tightening the muscles around their borders.
She was pleased.
It confirmed that what caught Portia’s attention was the way I acted that day at Central Guild. Portia was also the first person Katherine acknowledged as a threat, which meant the extent of her capability went beyond whatever her Ki Stage was.
In other words, Portia may have been able to sense my suppressed bloodlust after escaping the Ravendawn Estate. This would make her reasoning for giving me Atlas V3 a lie; she also didn’t believe that it would take me 10 years to complete my Ki Center.
Portia wanted to safeguard me without raising any suspicions.
The hurry I was in would have given her the idea that people were after me, yet my attitude showed no fear but attentiveness. Portia was reading me while I was reading her.
This was my current hypothesis.
“You seemed to have a connection with Enigma. Though that organisation is no more, they had many capable people among their ranks.”
The glare directed toward Portia remained unchanged, despite her lips spreading into a wider smile. I didn’t disregard the possibility of her knowing about The System, but it was too low to consider.
That mysterious boy was able to crush Chloe, a Ravendawn, with a flick of his wrist. Only an idiot wouldn’t be able to tell that his understanding of Ki was leaps ahead of Portia’s. Even the damn System confirmed that by calling him: ‘The Last Will of Enigma.’
He wasn’t labelled as a survivor.
And these details mattered.
“Judging by your progress, perhaps you were a late bloomer.”
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“...”
[The Mission Log has been updated.]
[Mission: Portia’s Goal
Difficulty: S+
Portia is interested in you and wants you to be a part of Chaos. Her true intentions are unknown, but she will treat you with care and respect.
Rewards: Live with Portia + Portia’s Lessons.
Failure: Portia’s Disapproval.]
I lowered the gun and began organising all the information I had obtained into the appropriate categories.
The movements of Portia’s unit weren’t like one of a recognised group. The location for this recruitment was more ideal for an ambush: a place far away from populated areas within Sharir. For a leader to be sent to recruit members from the remnants of others, brought the state of their own organisation into question.
‘The Last Will of Enigma’ meant that mysterious boy was the only one left. Why else would he make a deal with someone without a Ki Center? His situation had to be just as desperate as mine was, yet his actions were deliberate.
He made use of The System to form a contract. A contract that didn’t stipulate the ‘Failure’ or ‘Reward’ outcome.
So how did Portia make the connection between me and Enigma?
Either whatever happened to Enigma happened long before my arrival in Ayadell, or Chaos heard rumours about the mysterious boy being in Shako. The former would mean that few people knew of the organisation’s existence. The latter implied Portia was sent to investigate but had to use extra care due to Chloe Ravendawn.
The moment I mentioned Enigma in any capacity, Portia believed that I was related to the organisation. The goodwill she showed me was to plant the seeds for this recruitment.
Despite being in the Jiyeok, I had yet to see a single person in passing. The presence of Portia’s unit caused fear, and the name of their organisation would support this claim.
Unless Chaos was a careful group.
It was plausible, but one thing was certain: they didn’t abide by the laws society had set.
I cocked my head to the side, content with my reasoning thus far.
‘Portia’s Lessons?’
It wasn’t a surprise for a leader of Chaos to have some connections. What mattered was how powerful those connections were.
“I only care about one thing and one thing only. Can you help me kill Chloe Ravendawn?”
Portia’s eyebrows fell along with the thinning of her smile.
“You have a grudge against her?”
“The reason is unimportant. Can you help me or not?”
She clicked her tongue, and for the first time since the conversation started, Portia’s gaze shifted to the side. Her pursed lips added confirmation to the emotion she was displaying: visible annoyance.
“...Not right now. There have been a lot of changes in our current branch, and other matters take preced—“
“Then I’m not interested.”
It was as I expected. Chaos wasn’t in an optimal state, and that had nothing to do with me.
I spun around only to be met with Portia’s arm, blocking the path forward. Her speed alone made her sudden appearance seem like teleportation, but…
My eyes swivelled down to a black Ki rope wrapped around her wrist, preventing her hand from grabbing hold of my shoulder.
“...”
Portia examined the small gadget locked in place on the ground.
Binder.
It was a gadget made out of Codex Knowledge that had a circular black design with a concave centre. Binder contained hundreds of small sensors, and they overlaid to create an accurate depiction of the surrounding area. When set, four legs would latch onto the environmental surface while it could eject a Ki rope based on three settings: manual, automatic, or timer.
A manual ejection required the use of a hidden button in my cuff. Through it, I could assign X, Y and Z co-ordinates for an accurate launch.
An automatic ejection focused on calculating the best possible launch with the highest success rate of landing on the target by itself.
A timer ejection utilised the two methods above after the countdown was complete. The maximum time limit that could be set was 10 minutes, but that was more than enough. Once the target was bound, the more force they exerted, the tighter the restraints became.
“You’re making a mistake.”
Portia tore the rope off her wrist. As with everything, there was a limit. Binder dematerialised the moment the Ki rope was damaged beyond viable use.
“Your offer wasn’t good enough.”
Portia hung her head down for a few seconds before a frustrated sigh escaped her mouth.
“...Okay. We can go out on one date.”
[The Mission Log has been updated.]
[Mission: Portia’s Weakness
Difficulty: F-
Portia is weak to men in suits despite her indifferent attitude. This weakness can be taken advantage of in many ways.
Rewards: Portia.
Failure: Null.]
“...”
I peered down at Portia’s lowered head. Beneath the hair covering her face, deep breaths caused her stiff shoulders to rise and fall.
‘She would be very useful.’
My freedom wouldn’t be restricted, but Portia reported to a different kind of superior than Adventurers do. The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in any damn conflict involving rival organisations or even the Ten Families.
“Portia, would you leave Chaos for me?”
She raised her head, revealing the thick blush she tried to force back.
“Stupid... suit...”
Portia narrowed her eyes and looked away. She continued to mumble to herself, but the longer it took to receive a reply, the more obvious her answer became.
It was annoying because I wanted Portia. She was capable of infiltrating Central Guild and masking herself as a receptionist to an accurate degree. I knew there was a lot more she had to offer from what I had observed.
“No. Chaos comes first. Chaos is the answer.”
“...”
The veins on the side of my head popped at her regained composure. She would have been more than enough, but once again, the situation wasn’t in my damn favour.
“Move.”
‘!’
The ground fragmented, and the sky shook from the slight release of Ki.
“Shun, accept my terms now. This offer is better than you think.”
My hair stood on edge from the suppressed destruction her unreadable Ki had caused. The earth trembled; the cracks continued to form a spiralling network across the pathway.
A pressure weighed down on me.
No.
It crushed me deeper into the ground. For Portia to exert this much power without moving a finger was absurd. Blood gushed out of my nose, but I refused to submit to anyone.
I would never submit.
“I’m not interested in you.”
Portia’s pupils dilated, welcoming the wide grin that spread across her face. I knew I wouldn’t be getting out of here without a fight.