Chapter 337: The Weight of Rank
Alexander kept his gaze fixed ahead, feeling the ice-cold edge of the blade grazing his skin without showing a trace of panic.
"I understand," Alexander said in a calm voice. "There are powerful people beyond my imagination."
"That’s right, kid," the old man replied, withdrawing the weapon with a fluid motion as the rapier dissolved into thin air like glowing dust. "I’m only Gold-rank, but I’m certain I could kill you in under three seconds, even if I let you use [Shockwave] or [Wind Blade]."
The old man walked around the table and faced him again, adjusting the lapels of his suit jacket.
"[Wind Blade] is useful in tight quarters where your target can’t dodge, and [Shockwave] gives you a window to catch anyone off guard. But my [Ghost Step] renders me intangible for a brief moment. Your current abilities are nothing against me."
Alexander nodded in silence. This old man was dangerous so dangerous. He needed to step careful around him.
"Follow me, young man. There’s a designated hall for submitting reports," the old man said, gesturing toward the exit with his hand.
Both walked down the facility’s metallic corridors until they reached a reinforced chamber. Upon stepping inside, Alexander spotted three individuals seated behind a dark glass panel, wearing robes with their faces obscured.
"Those are the observers," the old man explained in a low tone. "They send different individuals every time to prevent bias, bribery attempts, or ambiguous records meant to favor or sabotage anyone. Their faces are covered so no one knows their identities, preventing future grudges or retaliation."
The old man paused and glanced at Alexander sideways.
"If you have any grievances or issues regarding the process, you can submit a complaint at the end. This comes a bit late, but they call me Ghost Blade. As an official member now holding Silver rank, you can select a codename or let everyone continue calling you Alexander. It’s your choice. Codenames usually reflect your personal tastes and abilities."
"I’d like to stick with just Alexander for now," he replied without hesitation.
"You can modify it at any time through your terminal," Ghost Blade nodded. "Now then, from this moment on, you may report everything you wish. I also represent TMC’s executive decisions regarding your assigned sector, so if you have any requests, feel free to make them and I will render the verdict. We’re listening."
Behind the glass, the three observers nodded in unison, signalling their consent.
Alexander composed himself in front of the glass panel and began recounting the events in a professional tone.
"Well, I should start by stating that I was deployed three days ago, as you mentioned," Alexander said. "Upon my arrival, I was received by five individuals. They went by Old 5, Agent 4, Agent 3, Agent 2, and Agent 1, respectively. They never offered their real names. I’m not sure if there’s a record of them at this moment?"
Ghost Blade opened the black folder, sliding through holographic documents with his thumb while slightly furrowing his brow.
"Indeed... though according to our file, there are only four," Ghost Blade said. "Old 5, Agent 1, Agent 2, and Agent 3. This Agent 4 doesn’t appear on the official registry."
Alexander flashed a cold smirk.
"Well then... It seems things get complicated right from the start," Alexander commented.
"Continue," the senior executive ordered.
"Anyway... On the first day I arrived, they handed over authority far too easily," Alexander explained. "Finances, resources—they handed everything over immediately, along with expansion plans and requests for new members to expand operations."
Ghost Blade nodded silently, flipping through the pages of his report.
"I want to state for the record at this point that I suspected them from that very moment," Alexander pressed on. "Upon examining the accounting, massive quantities of gems were missing. Old 5 attributed it to bribing the city’s mayor, Lyssandra. But when I met her in person, she didn’t strike me as that type of woman. She seemed righteous and fair. I assumed they were bribing people within TMC... I don’t know who the supervisor in charge of that sector was before my arrival, but I would like to request a formal financial audit."
Ghost Blade didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. He reached into the folder, pulled out an officially stamped sheet, and slid it across the table to Alexander.
"SilverSeed," Ghost Blade said indifferently. "That was the previous supervisor. He was recently executed for embezzlement, bribery, and withholding mission data. Continue."
Alexander glanced briefly at SilverSeed’s execution document before resuming his account.
"On the second day, Old 5 brought me to the local adventurers’ guild," Alexander continued. "It was there that they offered me an awakening stone simply for joining. At that moment, it struck me as extremely odd that none of the five squad members possessed an awakened skill. Having spent so much time in that world with access to those resources, for no one to have awakened felt like too much of a coincidence."
Ghost Blade jotted down a couple of notes in the folder without interrupting him.
"I wanted to test and understand my newly acquired ability, so I went to the outskirts of town to practice without drawing attention," Alexander pressed on, keeping his voice steady. "However, I wasn’t aware of the true scope or danger posed by the Sandoria region. I was targeted by a local group and they attempted to kidnap me. I had to use my skills to daze the three women currently with me, subduing them on the spot."
"I returned to the city immediately," Alexander added. "I didn’t want to break too many rules or trigger a major conflict without grasping the local political situation, as being branded criminals would severely harm TMC’s expansion efforts. I brought the three before Lyssandra, and the mayor legally subjected them to me through a local slavery contract—the one known as The Blood Slavery Contract."
Alexander paused for a split second to let Ghost Blade and the observers behind the glass digest the information before delivering the next blow.
"The real problem started the following day... right after I returned from training outside," Alexander declared in a calm tone, while internally smirking as he recalled how much fun he’d had playing hunt-the-Wild-Rose-agents all across the city.