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War Tyrant LitRPG
Chapter 5: Answers

Chapter 5: Answers

“Hahaha, it’s actually a little bit embarrassing for me to say, especially after you mentioned someone with a rare second class,” Adam fake laughed while scratching his head. “But I was only level 10 back then. I never left the newbie town, but it wasn’t because I was scared—it’s just that there were a lot of monsters everywhere, so I never had the chance to raise my power. You know, if I’d just gotten lucky at the beginning of the tutorial like the ‘Hero’ and the other high-leveled people did, I’m sure I would have been at least level 50 or something,” Adam said, repeating the excuse every low-leveled player used back then.

“Oh, I totally understand, you know. I would have been the same if I were in your situation,” Faith said sweetly, her face betraying no emotion. To anyone else, her act might have been convincing, but Adam, having been lied to and used countless times, found it almost adorable. She might have kept her face perfectly still, but Adam could feel the air around her change. It was a like sixth sense he had developed after being tricked by that bastard. If before she was filled with interest and a bit of respect, now the only thing he could sense from her was disdain and disinterest, as if she were looking at a waste of time.

“But those high-level people must be so strong, right? The others who were lost also talked about them, but I never heard of the ‘Hero’ you just mentioned. Who is he, and is he really that strong?” Faith asked, her voice filled with apparent awe.

Adam almost felt like patting her on the head and offering her candy—so innocent and naïve. She took the bait so fast without him needing to put in any effort. He knew that if he just told her he was a weakling, she might not believe him, even with an excuse that made anyone who heard it despise him. After all, no matter how many times you tell a starving person that you don’t have food, they will never believe you, but if you tell them where to find it, they will leave you alone in a heartbeat.

Adam knew exactly where the "food" Faith and her people wanted was. After all, the "Hero" himself was in this city. If Adam could get the government off his back and give that bastard some trouble at the same time, it would be like killing two birds with one stone.

"Oh yeah, he was one of the top players back then. Actually, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but there were even some rumors saying he might have been the strongest," said Adam, almost cringing at the words coming out of his mouth. Faith, on the other hand, was paying him full attention.

"Oh wow, he must be really strong then. You're really amazing, you know, to know someone so famous," said Faith, trying to butter up Adam.

"Hahaha, I guess so," said Adam, laughing and acting as if he was falling for her act, trying to keep up his fool image.

"So this 'hero,' what's his real name? I would hate to meet him one day and not be able to recognize him. Can you imagine? I would be so embarrassed," asked Faith.

Damn bitch, do you also want me to tell you where he lives? Adam thought. Should he tell her, though? No, he was already connected to his sister, and if they somehow ended up mentioning his name to that bastard because they thought he know him personally, this whole charade would have been for nothing. Besides, now that they knew this ‘Hero’ was a big deal, they could ask any other lost and get his name.

"Ah-ah, I don’t actually know his name; I didn’t really meet him personally. You see high-level players rarely came to the newbie village," said Adam with a stutter, acting embarrassed as if caught lying.

"Oh, that's unfortunate then, but thank you anyway. It was really fun talking to you, Adam. Oh look, it seems like we are about to reach the registration office," said Faith, still keeping her kind act, but Adam could feel that she was done with him.

After a minute, the car stopped in front of a huge glass building with multiple nice cars parked outside. Getting out of the car, Faith led Adam into the building. Inside, she approached what seemed like the help desk and spoke with the attendant before signaling Adam to come closer.

"Adam, this here is Siri. She will be taking care of you from here on. If you need anything, feel comfortable asking her," Faith said.

"Wait, you won’t be coming with me, Miss Faith?" Adam asked, acting surprised.

"I wish I could, but unfortunately, I have some work that I need to attend to," Faith replied with a sad smile, handing him a card. "But don’t feel sad. After you finish the registration process, call me. I know it can be hard to get back into society after five long years, so if you need a job or a place to stay, I might be able to help you."

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Will you look at that, Adam thought, trying to keep himself from laughing in her face. The moment she realized I wasn’t what she was looking for, she discarded me. Well, not exactly—she kept up the pretense and even gave me her card. But I suppose that makes sense; after all, players, unlike awakened, can level up, so it’s better for them to stay on good terms with everyone, no matter how weak they seem.

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Adam said with a smile before bidding farewell to Faith.

“Well, Mister Adam, if you could please follow me, we can get started,” Siri said politely.

Turning to face Siri, Adam nodded and began to follow her, contemplating Faith’s earlier comments. It seemed like a good opportunity to ask Siri some questions about the current world—after all, Lex and Faith had only questioned him, so this might be his best chance to get some answers.

“Hey Siri, if you don’t mind, could you answer a few questions for me?” Adam asked.

Siri continued walking but responded, “Feel free to ask me anything.”

“I understand that many cities were destroyed after the calamity, but someone mentioned that this city used to be called Charlotte. Was it destroyed and rebuilt, and is that why the name changed to Aegis?” Adam inquired.

“Indeed, after the calamity, this city sustained significant damage, and many of its infrastructures needed repair. However, the name change to Aegis wasn’t due to rebuilding but because of the Aegis Guild,” she replied.

“Aegis Guild? What is that?” Adam asked.

“Don’t you know about guilds, Mister Adam?” Siri inquired. When Adam shook his head, she continued, “After the great calamity, the government lost much of its power and couldn't maintain control everywhere. As awakened individuals started to appear, many of them didn't want to be under government authority. Given the government's weakened state, these individuals began forming what we now know as guilds. Essentially, a guild is a gathering of awakened individuals, usually led by a high-ranked awakened or a group of them. These guilds gained power quickly and some even took control of entire cities. For instance, the Aegis Guild took over the remnants of Charlotte after its destruction and declared it their headquarters.”

“Guilds, huh? It’s basically the same as the clans from the tutorial,” Adam thought. Humans always seem to establish hierarchies, no matter the situation. “So they’re essentially like a small government of their own. How did the government accept this? I would have assumed they’d view such actions as an invasion of their land.”

“Well, you’re partly right. In normal circumstances, the government wouldn’t have allowed such a thing. However, given the chaos and the new realities after the calamity, they had little choice but to adapt. The guilds aren’t exactly governments of their own but are more like large, independent entities that the government must deal with respectfully due to their considerable power,” Siri explained. “Even though the city’s name was changed to reflect the guild, that doesn’t mean they own it outright. Initially, the guilds tried to assert full control, but they quickly learned it wasn’t that simple. Eventually, they reached an agreement with the government to co-rule the city.”

“Well, that makes sense. Managing a city must be incredibly challenging. But how did they rebuild it so quickly? Not only that, but they also constructed that massive dome. Even five years ago, and under normal circumstances, that would have been nearly impossible, let alone after the chaos that followed the calamity,” he asked.

“That’s all thanks to the awakened,” Siri replied. “Not all awakened individuals are combat-oriented. While rare, some gain powers not related to fighting but to construction and development. For instance, some can refine dirt into metal, while others can make entire fields of plants mature within days. They may not receive much recognition, but they play a crucial role in maintaining our society.”

Just like I thought—basically a craft-based class. The more I learn about them, the more they seem like us players, just minus the system, Adam thought.

“Speaking of the awakened, I was wondering why many of them seemed so agitated about the lost breaking free from their crystallization,” he said. “I understand it’s a major event, but for them to rush out of the city so urgently still seems a bit odd, doesn’t it?”

Siri stopped walking and turned to face him, surprise evident on her face. “Didn’t Sergeant Faith tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Adam asked, sensing that something wasn’t right.

Shaking her head as if disagreeing with something, Siri said, “The reason the awakened acted in such a rush is because most of them, if not all, have a relative who was one of the lost. For the longest time, it was thought that having a lost relative increased your chance of awakening. While this theory is not confirmed, the idea behind it came from the fact that the thing most awakened individuals have in common is having a relative who is lost.”

Ah, fuck me, thought Adam upon hearing Siri's words. That bastard having an awakened sister was bad enough; now you're telling me every motherfucker that wants me dead has one too? Well, maybe this isn’t so bad. That means my little brother and—no, don’t think about that. I can’t drag them into my bullshit, not until I get back my level and can protect them at least.

Feeling like his mind was about to explode, Siri interrupted his thoughts and said, “Well, we have arrived at the examination room. Please enter; I will be in the control room.”

Still in a daze, Adam went into the room, but inside there was nothing but white walls. Then he heard Siri's voice, “Well, whenever you are ready, just tell me, and we will start.”

Confused, Adam asked, “Start what exactly?”

“Didn’t Sergeant Faith tell you? This is an awakened testing center,” Siri said confusion filling her voice too.

Adam felt like cursing Faith out loud.