Chapter 37: Gilbert Jack
The three continued going over their initial plan. Terrence shared some of his insights while the senior members of this scheme built a solid foundation around his ideas.
Half an hour later, someone else joined them. He looked to be roughly the same age as Terrence, with a slightly shorter frame, but he appeared to be well-dressed just like Klein.
With his eyes slightly squinted, the newcomer gazed down at Terrence before sitting down with obvious intrigue in his eyes.
"Oh... do we have a new companion?"
Jonas snickered, leaning back into his leather couch. "Yeah, Klein picked him up from the streets."
"Are you serious?" the young man asked Klein, who appeared genuinely shocked by that kind of introduction.
"Of course not," Klein snorted, rolling his eyes. "This is Terrence."
"Terrence? You mean... that Terrence?"
Hearing his own name repeated multiple times with that exact same dramatic reaction from people wasn’t making Terrence feel any better. He could only let out a quiet sigh as he observed the expressions painted on their faces.
"Yeah, the trash Terrence of the Lee Family," Terrence cut in, extending his hand forward to break the awkward tension.
The young man nodded, reaching out to shake the offered hand. "Nice to meet you. I am Gilbert Jack."
"My pleasure as well. By the way, I lost that title since I am already an officially registered tamer. Thankfully," Terrence said, his voice laced with faint sarcasm.
Gilbert shrugged, his tone relaxing. "I didn’t think you were trash at all, Terrence. You look pretty impressive, to be honest. The rumors about you are clearly all wrong."
"Well, I guess they were just being exaggerated. Mind if I ask you, do you know anything about their plans?"
"Of course. I am a core part of it," Gilbert nodded firmly.
The meeting of the newly formed alliance continued as Gilbert shared new intel that helped refine their strategy, making the entire plan far more formidable. And just like that, the long day came to an end, and they turned in for the night inside the Lin Clan estate.
The next morning, right after finalizing a few other arrangements, Terrence finally found time to visit the nearest A-Rank rift. However, he didn’t have its exact coordinates yet, which required him to stop by a local branch of the Contribution Agency first.
"Are you going to the agency?" Gilbert’s voice echoed from behind just as Terrence stepped past the estate’s outer perimeter.
A cold gust of wind slapped against his face, greeting him alongside the sight of the endless, mist-covered cliff.
Terrence turned around with an unbothered expression. "Yeah. You too?"
"No. But mind if I tag along? I am planning to visit the A-Rank rift down below," Gilbert said, walking up beside him. "It has become a real pain in the ass ever since it appeared a week ago. The energy turbulence has been bothering my family’s business down there."
Terrence didn’t reply immediately, his eyes drifting over to a nearby human elevator platform. Its heavy metal bars marked it as a lift designed to move pedestrians from one vertical floor to another.
"Sure... Do you know where it is?"
"I know the way. You originally plan to go there? I will guide you," Gilbert paused as a sudden realization hit him. A visible question mark seemed painted across his tanned face. "Wait... are you a strong tamer? Can you actually enter an A-Rank dungeon rift already?"
Terrence snorted softly. "Calling me strong is an overreaction. I just managed to awaken a strong affinity." He lied smoothly, keeping his System hidden.
With a slight curl of his lips, Gilbert pressed the glowing green button on the elevator frame. The metal gate slid open, inviting them to step inside and descend.
Acting as though he wasn’t amazed by the vertical transit system, Terrence kept his face entirely indifferent as he stepped onto the platform. The floor started moving downward a second after the gates closed, bringing a familiar, floating sensation as his stomach dropped.
"Still, you clearly have huge potential," Gilbert noted. A second later, the elevator dinged and the gates opened smoothly. Another tier, similar to the upper level, greeted them as they stepped out onto the metal walkway. "What kind of beast do you have?"
"I don’t know... I don’t really want to say it too soon. I want to surprise people, you know?"
Gilbert shook his head, a short chuckle escaping his lips. "Come on... You don’t have to be like that with me. We are allies here."
Terrence paused slightly at that word.
Allies.
Even though they had only known each other for a very short time, for some reason, he felt a genuine connection to this group. There was something bringing him closer to them. Could it be because of their shared circumstances? It was highly possible—mostly because they all shared a burning hatred for the Lee Family.
"Anyways, you don’t have to tell me right now if you feel pressured," Gilbert added gently, tapping his shoulder. "I want you to share it when you’re ready to do it willingly."
Soon, their walk continued along the metal pathways, winding past various cliffside residences and bustling storefronts. They eventually reached a dead end on this specific tier of the vertical city, where a swirling rift was embedded directly into the solid stone wall.
There were far more people gathered here compared to the merchant district they had passed earlier. Some tamers were hawking monster parts, while others set up temporary stalls to trade supplies.
Terrence didn’t pay much attention to the vendors, focusing instead on why there were so many people hanging around an A-Rank rift. Was it because the residents of Hanging City were all high-affinity tamers? It was possible, but he didn’t feel any need to ask.
"Here we are... an Indigo dungeon rift," Gilbert commented, pointing toward the pulsating energy portal.
Terrence approached the Guard Rift post, pulling out his official tamer ID to show the officer on duty. After a few familiar verification steps on the scanner, he was granted full clearance for entrance.
"Want me to tour you around inside the rift?" Gilbert offered, crossing his arms.
"I would love to... be alone this time," Terrence replied plainly. "I just recently awakened, you know, and I want to test my skills properly."
Gilbert shook his head, frowning slightly. "That’s really not the way to do it. If you just want to test or practice your skills, you should have gone to a much weaker rift for minimal risk. I know you’re just being anti-social."
"Hey, I didn’t say that," Terrence retorted, stopping right near the portal threshold.
"Come over here first," Gilbert insisted, waving his hand. "I’ll introduce you to the heiress of the Lin Clan."
Terrence didn’t listen to him, taking a step backward toward the swirling energy.
The only thing occupying his mind right now was the urgent 48-hour countdown—and the absolute necessity of farming A-Rank beast cores to awaken his dormant S-Rank Vampire Butler.