Chapter 415: Mentor
Ethan then asked the System to display the details of the skill.
[Skill: Right of Claim]
[Description: By calling out the full and true name of a target within the required range, the Usurping Hunger can invoke its curse upon that target and forcibly claim it. The effect can be used on virtually anything, whether it is an object, a living being, or even an ability. So long as the target possesses a true and complete name, the Box can seize it and store it within itself.]
[Storage Capacity:
-[Mythic Grade: Maximum of 2 items.]
-[Legendary Grade: Maximum of 4 items]
-[Epic Grade: Maximum of 6 items]
-[Super-Rare Grade: Maximum of 8 items]
-[Rare Grade: Maximum of 10 items]
-[High Grade: Maximum of 13 items]
-[Mid Grade: Maximum of 18 items]
-[Low Grade: Maximum of 30 items.]
[Non-Magical Items: Maximum of 10,000 items.]
[Capacity Restriction: The listed limits represent the maximum number of items the Usurping Hunger can contain at each grade. Once its total storage capacity has been reached, it cannot claim or accommodate another target regardless of its grade, nature, or strength.]
[Living Targets: The Usurping Hunger can also store living beings. It can accommodate up to 10 unawakened individuals at maximum capacity. The number and duration for which Awakened individuals can be contained depend on the difference between their power and that of the Usurping Hunger. Individuals sufficiently stronger than the Box cannot be claimed or contained at all, while those within an appropriate range may be held for varying periods according to the disparity in power.]
[Capacity Override: Storing living beings follows the same overall capacity principle as storing objects. Once the Usurping Hunger reaches its maximum storage capacity, it cannot claim or accommodate any additional target, regardless of whether that target is an object, living being, magical item, or non-magical item.]
Ethan’s eyes lingered on the description for a few seconds. He was genuinely intrigued by the skill.
If he hadn’t been lying beside Isabella, he would’ve summoned the Usurping Hunger immediately just to see what the strange box actually looked like. For now, however, he decided against it. The last thing he wanted was to wake his sleeping wife.
A new System message suddenly appeared.
[Reminder!]
[The Borrow and Bond Skills can be upgraded.]
Ethan sighed and rolled his eyes. This wasn’t the first time the System had reminded him. But the problem was the ridiculous amount of Experience Points required to upgrade either skill.
The last time, each skill had required 15,000 XP for its next level. But now, the required amount had jumped all the way to 70,000 XP for each one. And with his current balance sitting at only 155,000 XP, spending 140,000 of it on both skills was hardly an attractive proposition.
What mattered more to Ethan now was gathering enough xps to continue pushing through the remaining levels until he obtained the final key fragment leading to the Summoning Space.
With that thought in mind, he watched as the System screens gradually disappeared from his sight, leaving him once again staring into the the night.
———
The following morning at the headquarters of the Western Coalition...
President Julius sat behind his desk with one hand resting on his forehead as he listened to three of his highest-ranking agents voice their frustrations over the death of Dark Nova.
Two of them were particularly agitated.
The first one was, Altha McFadden. She had this long black hair falling around her shoulders, with a prominent scar across her forehead.
The other was Bertram Cawley, a large, heavily built man with dark hair and a matching grim expression on his face.
The third was Olaf Marsden, the youngest of the three. He had blonde hair and was the only one who seemed calm, compared to the other two.
Altha slammed her palm on the desk. "President, send us to Grayforte right now."
Julius slowly lowered his hand from his forehead and looked at her. "You all want me to do the exact same thing I did with Norman?"
"Let’s not forget that this entire situation was Norman’s fault. I specifically ordered him to stay out of it and not interfere in the affairs of another nation. He disobeyed that order."
"If he did," Bertram interrupted, "then he did it for the right reasons. Are we really going to turn a blind eye to that?"
Julius stared at him for several seconds before sighing. "We both know why you’re angry."
He looked between the three agents. "You’re grieving. You’re angry because you lost teammates, and now you want someone to pay for it. I understand that."
"But Norman still disobeyed a direct order and interfered in another nation’s affairs. That’s the reality of the situation."
Julius leaned back in his chair. "If there’s another sighting of that demon, then perhaps we’ll reconsider. But right now, even King Carson wants nothing to do with Coalition agents operating inside his country."
"So for now, I’d say we let sleeping dogs lie."
"This is bullshit." Altha muttered, then turned towards the blonde. "You’re not going to say anything, Olaf?....If I remember correctly, Norman was practically a mentor to you."
She stared at him. "And yet you have nothing to say?"
Olaf sighed. "Like the President said, Norman broke orders. He refused to follow them and interfered in another country’s affairs."
He then turned towards Julius. "President, I’ll be taking my leave."
Julius gave him a nod. And afterwards, Olaf turned and walked towards the door.
"This is unbelievable." Altha muttered behind him.
Bertram simply shook his head.
Olaf said nothing as he opened the door and walked out.
-
Olaf reached and entered his sedan. And for a while, he just stared at the windshield.
Then he exhaled heavily and gripped the steering wheel tightly as the frustration he had kept buried inside the meeting finally surfaced.
He then reached for his Arcphone and scrolled through his messages until he found the last one he had received from Norman.
A voice message.
Olaf stared at it for a moment before pressing play.
This had to be close to the hundredth time he had listened to it.
Norman’s deep voice then filled the quiet interior of the car.
[Voice Message — Norman]
"Olaf, this is me, Norman. If you’re hearing this, then I need your assistance."
"I don’t have clearance to deploy you, and I already know the Director won’t authorize anyone else to come with me. So I’m asking you personally."
"I’ve uncovered something serious in Gritnia. The people involved are dangerous. They’re strong, and every one of them appears to be a Reawakened."
"I can’t guarantee that I’ll come out on top. But I can’t stand by and watch this happen when I know there’s something I can do about it."
"I’m working alongside Lady Morgenstein, the head of the Morgenstein family. Together, we’ve managed to uncover the people responsible and trace the source of what’s been happening."
"If you receive this in time, come to Gritnia. Don’t wait for clearance. Contact me as soon as you arrive and join me."
"I’m counting on you, Olaf."
The recording ended.
Olaf’s jaw tightened before he suddenly slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
"Dammit, Norman..."
He lowered his head for a moment, breathing heavily.
Olaf was only in his mid-twenties, but like most people in Gritnia and across the continent, he had grown up looking up to Dark Nova.
To Olaf, however, Norman had eventually become more than an admired Hero.
He became his mentor.
When Olaf first joined the Western Coalition, Norman had taken him under his wing, teaching him, guiding him and helping him grow into the agent he had become.
That was why his death had hurt alot more than Olaf had allowed anyone to see.
He had received Norman’s message, but at the time, he was away on another mission and couldn’t access his device
By the time he finally heard it, Norman was already dead.
Olaf stared at the Arcphone in his hand for a few seconds before dropping it onto the passenger seat.
He reached forward and started the engine as he pulled away from the headquarters.
He had just made the decision to head to Gritnia.