Footsteps clacked with a certain staccato rhythm as a solemn man walked to the center of the stage.

“Mr. Bennon is it true? We’re being let go?”

A rough voice spoke up amongst the crowd gathered below the stage. His question sparked a ripple of murmurs.

“I’m afraid so.”

Bennon clasped his hands behind his back, causing his immaculate suit to reveal his well-built frame. No matter how hard he tried to steel himself, everyone could see the apologetic expression forming on his face.

“Severance packages have been issued according to your contributions. Alas, there isn’t much I can do for those newly hired.”

Even though he said there wasn’t much he could do, the package that the new hires received were all exceptional.

At minimum, each one held at least three months of their salary. This was in addition to a unique farewell gift that was tailored to each employee, which showed the genuine thought that went into this ordeal.

“W-We don’t care about the severance packages! We just want to keep working here!”

A charming voice worked up the courage to speak. A woman wearing voluminous robes blushed for a moment as she attracted the attention of her former coworkers, but they didn’t let her down.

“Yea! Everyone here just wants to stay working at this place.”

“Please don’t let us go like this. Is there anything we can do to help?”

“If it’s about money, you can keep this month’s paycheck!”

Soon, numerous voices chimed in; each sharing the same sentiment as the woman who first spoke up on the matter.

Bennon let out a long sigh before speaking up.

“Please, let’s not make this harder. This is already a difficult situation for everyone, myself included. Just know that the decision was made by someone above me and I can’t overturn it.”

He then performed a simple action that no one could have imagined. He bowed elegantly before the crowd.

“Thank you for being a part of this family. I will remember and hold each of you close to my heart.”

His placed his right hand over his chest as he said this.

“We are closed to the public as of now, please take care of yourselves and stay healthy.”

Bennon remained at an angled position with his head lowered. It took a minute for the crowd to realize that he wouldn’t speak again.

“Thank you Mr. Bennon, for everything!”

A bright voice carried itself over the heads of the dumbstruck crowd as a young girl exited the massive room.

“I’ll never forget your teachings Mr. Bennon, please lead an honorable life.”

A young man followed after the girl, and one by one, the group of people slowly left while expressing their farewells.

“Stay healthy Mr. Bennon!”

“Let us know if you decide to reverse your decision. I’ll hurry back at the drop of hat!”

Many people repeated similar lines, while others simply left in melancholy. Soon enough, the crowd dispersed, leaving a single person sitting in the back of the room.

Bennon stood up straight once he noticed that only Ciena remained. She guided loose strands of hair behind her ear as she came to the center stage.

“How did I do?”

Bennon called out once Ciena was only a few feet away from his position.

Ciena merely shifted the stack of papers in her arms. Instead, another voice called out from above.

“It’s a shame that it must be this way but thank you nonetheless.”

Jun watched the entire exchange from the top floor of the arena. With a small leap, he flung himself over the guard rails of the balcony.

Anyone else would have been shocked to see a young man flying through the air from such a height, but Bennon and Ciena simply waited patiently on the stage.

He thudded onto the stage in a kneeling position with both hands on the floor. He picked himself up while patting his hands together, wiping away any dust from the stage.

His balcony was secluded in a dark portion of the room, but now he was illuminated by the stage lighting, revealing a pensive visage.

He wore his normal form-fitted suit, but at this moment there was no mask covering his face. His dazzling blue eyes glowed as he calmly looked around the massive arena.

This structure was supplied by Grandpa Einstoldt. Although cleverly hidden, there are many formations throughout the building for observational purposes…

“It’s weird to see you without your mask on, young master.”

Ciena fervently eyed the teen as she hugged the documents a little closer to her chest.

Not many knew this young man’s identity, including the two people present. Great measures were taken to ensure Jun’s anonymity, and one of those measures was his black mask that he always wore.

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The mask had multiple functions.

One of its most useful functions was access to the World System, which was essentially a way for people to communicate across the entire Ancestral Plane and even through the PSI World system.

When wearing the mask, a screen was displayed in front of his eyes that enabled him to view anything he wished or even communicate with anyone also using the World System.

However, the mask’s most important role was to conceal his identity. It covered the upper half of his face, and even changed his eyes to resemble the color of rubies.

“Yes… I suppose I won’t need it anymore.”

Jun spoke casually and smiled faintly, causing Ciena’s heart to beat a little faster. He eyed Bennon briefly and thought to himself.

Bennon Soras, right hand man of Commander Sahves Candor. His most trusted subordinate. Should one find themselves an enemy of this monster, they can only hope for a swift death. He was sent by the commander to keep an eye on me and double as my personal bodyguard.

Afterward, he turned his attention to the beautiful young woman who had a tint of blush in her cheeks.

Ciena Tempest, a secret agent that has been raised since birth by the Sugo foundation. Her loyalty is absolute and unshakeable to the Sugo family. Sent by Grandpa Sugo for the same reasons as Bennon.

When he initially met these two outstanding individuals, they were very warm to him; almost as if they were acting out a play. Jun was very sensitive to the inner nature of those around him, especially when he could hear any negative thoughts that poured out of them.

The first day he met them, he already knew about their secret agenda due to their unfiltered thoughts and hatred of being assigned such a role unbefitting their status.

Both were individually tasked with keeping an eye on him, and neither of them knew about the other’s identity. At this time, they simply thought of one another as coworkers that were close to Jun.

Even till this day, they still had no idea that Jun knew about their real motives for coming to him. That’s why he had no issues poking fun at them while watching them work their hardest.

He knew that no matter how he acted around them, or how badly he took advantage of them, they would never retaliate.

Regardless of their loyalties, they grew quite attached to him over the years in his employment. Bennon often found himself wishing that Jun were closer to Commander Sahves, just so that they could share an open friendship.

On the other hand, Ciena wished day and night that Jun were a part of the organization that raised her. She knew that the boy had immense value in order for her to be given this mission, but that didn’t mean she could have a future with him.

Her parents were the leaders of this shadow organization, and there was no reality in which they would willingly send her on a mission such as this. Especially when that mission included a young and incredibly handsome male.

The fact that Ciena’s parents pretended to look the other way only testified to the massive importance they placed on Jun.

Despite her strong loyalties, she often found herself wanting to tell Jun everything about her circumstances. It was as if a secret guilt were eating her from within whenever she gazed into his brilliant eyes.

“I wish to ask you two some questions.”

Jun spoke with his arms crossed in front.

“Of course.”

“Anything for the young master.”

Jun’s eyes flickered between the two of them before he spoke up.

“How familiar are you two with PSI World?”

Both Bennon and Ciena felt an impulse to smile in excitement after hearing his question. However as professionals, they easily adjusted themselves appropriately.

Considering their backgrounds, they should be highly ranked in PSI World.

“I am familiar with the basics and have dabbled occasionally. If you have some questions about it then I will try my best to answer.”

“I am the same as Bennon. I’d rather spend my time here with you, after all.”

Ciena’s voice dimmed a little towards the end of her sentence. This was most likely her true feelings on the matter, regardless of how much time she spent in PSI World.

They couldn’t appear too experienced with PSI World as that would potentially give them away, but they also needed to display some competence towards the subject.

In this day and age, who hadn’t participated in PSI World on the side?

The PSI World merit system was simply too lucrative to avoid. After completing accomplishments, activities, or even simple merchanting, one would be rewarded with system merit points, which could be converted into credits for spending.

These merit points were essentially universal and could be used on any world that was also connected to the PSI World system.

Most people had one reason or another to enter PSI World. Whether it was to escape the bounds of normalcy that plagued their everyday life or to uphold the prestige and reputation of their family’s namesake, it was undisputed and even expected for everyone to be at least somewhat familiar with PSI World.

“I am planning to enter PSI World tomorrow. My academy class will be joining the tutorial as a group, at least those who haven’t already done it will be joining. Do… you have any advice?”

Bennon and Ciena couldn’t help but be momentarily shocked.

He’s asking for advice?

The young master wants to hear my thoughts?

Immediately, all sorts of things rushed to the forefront of their mind: both basic and highly technical maneuvers, the proper stat distributions to take, what skills to focus on, what enemies to combat to foster the quickest growth.

In the short span of a second, both of them mentally conjured a list that could easily fill dictionaries.

However in the next moment, they both froze and let out a wry smile. How could they possibly educate him in these manners and still maintain their image as mere subordinates?

The vast amounts of knowledge that they held could only be obtained through years of extreme circumstances. Only the most elite of PSI World users could even approach the levels of rigorous training that they underwent.

“Ahem.”

Bennon cleared his throat. In reality, he was just buying time to formulate the best way to respond. Naturally, Ciena was doing the same.

“My advice… try your best. Give it your all and don’t let the idea of being off world fool you. Wherever you end up will be just as real of a place as the Ancestral Plane.”

Ciena nodded to this advice.

While it sounded simple, there were definitely a large number of people who entered PSI World treating it like some fictional fantasy land. Each of them would pretend as if their actions didn’t matter and held no consequences, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

“And my advice would be, don’t forget to spend time here on the Ancestral Plane. Some people really enjoy PSI World, and often times they’ll forget that they have a life here too. Many worlds have time dilation, which helps with this, but even still…”

She looked down at her feet before murmuring her next sentence quietly.

“Some people here will miss spending time with you.”

Bennon grinned as he heard this.

He wasn’t a fool, and he could tell that Ciena was withholding emotions when she interacted with Jun. Although he didn’t know her circumstances, he couldn’t help but pity her on some level.

Jun nodded in confirmation after hearing the advice that his most loyal subordinates had for him. He turned around in a circle and once more inspected the vast arena before him.

He could see the different balconies that led to private rooms decorating the walls of the arena. Along the ceiling he was able to see the different formations that created both the visual effects as well as the various levels of security that protected the building.

“This place is quite good, wouldn’t you agree?”

He spoke to them offhandedly.

“Yes sir, this place is quite nice. It’ll be a shame to abandon it.”

Bennon confirmed while also inspecting his surroundings.

“Oh? Who said anything about abandoning it?”

Jun grinned as he had now captured his employees rapt attention.

“You intend to stay here? But I thought… but we dismissed… I’m confused.”

Ciena floundered in bewilderment.

“Indeed. I’ll have to revisit these formations, but perhaps I’ll turn this place into a training area of sorts. If I’m to enter PSI World, then I will do it properly. Besides, these rooms are quite nice. I imagine they could be improved upon and adjusted to make a lovely environment. Hmm, yes.”

He casually gestured with a finger to the various rooms that surrounded them while admiring the beautiful interior of the club house.

“Yes… this will do quite nicely, indeedly.”