With his back hunched, Nathaniel could just fit himself inside the room. His legs were big enough to reach the table between the two. Yet, he held the documents ever so delicately, showcasing the control he had over his inhumane strength.
What worried Jin wasn't Nathaniel, though. Ever since he had entered the room, he felt a strange competitive spirit ignite inside him. It was as if he wanted to go out of his way to attack Nathaniel, to test just how much he had grown over the past few days and how much he had to walk further.
It was unlike him, but he also knew the reason behind it.
'My demonic qi is reacting to him. Is it considering him a foe instead?'
The demonic qi was an alien concept to Jin for the most part. Being the Alliance Leader, he came to understand a ton about the mysterious demonic qi and how it worked. But he had never felt it work by himself.
Due to his inexperience, he was still oblivious to its limits and how far he could push the demonic qi.
Fortunately, he had Kang to measure the heights the demonic qi could reach. It was by far the only martial art capable of rivaling his own. So, even if he couldn't practice his own martial art in this life, he could still depend on the demonic martial arts without regrets.
To do so, he would have to explore it from every angle possible.
So, instead of suppressing his excitement, he opened himself like an open book.
'Will he notice?'
Just like every other energy, there were noticeable fluctuations in one's qi as well. These fluctuations differed from one person to another, subtly showing their personality.
His own qi barely ever showed any fluctuations. It was something he had achieved after countless years of effort and cultivation, something only possible for a master of martial arts. But his demonic qi was as obedient as his energy.
It was opposite, fluctuating as it wished and settling accordingly. These fluctuations also made one vulnerable to manipulation by another cultivator who had mastered the art of hallucination and similar techniques.
That's why he first focused on cultivating and circulating qi, stabilizing it as much as he could. But as the vital qi rippling faintly in his middle dantian affected his qi, he didn't go against it. It was to see if Nathaniel was experienced enough to notice it and what his reaction would be.
Apparently, Nathaniel had already lowered the file in his hand, staring at him as if he were looking at a child.
"Where are your manners, kid?"
His words alone were enough for Jin to regain his composure.
"My apologies."
Looking at the documents again, Nathaniel spoke.
"Do you believe you can defeat Evelin?"
The question was sudden. Instead of pondering it, Jin answered.
"We only met about an hour ago. Since she's a first-ranker like me, I doubt there's much difference between us other than raw strength and our core abilities."
Nathaniel spoke steadily.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Standing up, he walked to his desk and started rummaging through his documents.
"Let's not waste any more time. We received a mission from the Lenus company last week. A horde of pincers has migrated to the east, blocking the path the company uses to reach the mining site. You'll go and resolve the issue with team 01D."
Jin simply looked at his wide back, waiting for him to continue. Instead, Nathaniel turned around and stared back at him.
"Is there a problem?"
Jin spoke dumbfoundedly.
"I missed the part where that's my problem."
Nathaniel seemed surprised. He soon realized something, making him sigh deeply.
Shaking his head, he sat back on the sofa.
"What did Evelin tell you?"
Jin shrugged.
"She told me you wanted to have a conversation with me."
Nathaniel clicked his tongue.
"That girl… No wonder you look confused."
Gazing outside the small window embedded in his wall like a painting, he continued.
"Since you don't even know why you have been brought here, let me start with that. When you fought against the second-ranker in that underground fighting ring, our guildmaster was also present in that place."
Jin frowned subtly. He remembered there being some special guests at the time, but he didn't know who they were.
Nathaniel continued.
"I didn't get to see the match myself, but our guildmaster seems to have been impressed by how you handled it. She wanted me to recruit you—as a trainee, of course. I told Evelin to brief you on the situation. If you were interested in the opportunity, she was to tell you to reach out to me."
Jin just gave him a blank look.
"It seems she didn't tell you any of it. No matter. What do you think of the opportunity now?"
Jin scratched the bridge of his nose as he thought over Nathaniel's explanation. He didn't have to think much, though, since he already had a question in mind.
"I still can't understand why you're recruiting me personally. I believe there are countless other employees you could've sent instead of Evelin as well. I can't help but think you're giving me special treatment."
Nathaniel picked up another file from his desk. He rummaged through it furiously, looking for a specific piece of information. Stopping at a particular page, he spoke.
"Right, you're from the lower districts. You must not know much of what has happened recently. Hmm… I don't even know where to start. "I'll simply review the factors that motivate our desire to recruit you."
Putting the document aside, he continued.
"To put it simply, your generation has significantly disrupted the entire Acropolis. This is the first time two challengers with heaven-ranked abilities have appeared. Something like this event has never happened, not to mention the last batch that had a heaven-ranked challenger pass his first trial about five years ago."
As he talked about ability ranks, Jin was reminded of his status screen. He wanted to know whether he was the only one without a ranked ability but decided to let Nathaniel continue.
"Since the two individuals already belong to different clans, the power balance has tilted to one side. But that is not the main problem here."
He turned to the small window.
"Well, that problem doesn't concern you yet. What you need to know is that everyone will be fighting over the remaining talented individuals in your generation from now on. Everyone wants to make sure they are not left behind."
Jin looked at his wistful expression. It was clear that Nathaniel was hiding something, but he thought it better not to go there yet.
"That much is understandable. But you still haven't told me why you sent Evelin."
A fleeting smile appeared on Nathaniel's face before disappearing as if he had never smiled. Narrowing his gaze, he spoke authoritatively.
"I can understand why Guildmaster was so adamant about you. You should know that no other first-ranker is capable of speaking to me so boldly."
Jin chose silence, neither taking Nathaniel's words as a compliment nor changing his way of speaking. Noticing his unwavering stance, Nathaniel continued.
"Why did you enter the tower, Lian?"
Jin replied almost instantly.
"Why else would I enter the tower if not to climb its floors?"
Nathaniel shook his head.
"I mean, what do you intend to do with the power you receive from that tower? Whether you have an end goal. As you know, the Surge is still a major threat to humanity. Do you wish to fight against the Surge, or perhaps climb to the top of the tower and see what lies beyond?"
Jin thought deeply about his question. Finally, he could only come to one answer.
"Do I need a grand ambition to enter the tower?"
Nathaniel stared down at Jin, as if looking right at his soul. He wasn't trying to intimidate him, but rather, to find out whether Jin was capable of upholding the courage he had shown until now.
'Even a mongrel can howl at a sleeping lion.'
Nathaniel's gaze weighed on his shoulders like a large boulder. At some point, even breathing steadily felt like a chore. He wasn't using his qi, nor was he using his core ability. This condition was the result of being in an entirely different realm than Jin's own.
Until now, he had been using Allen as a standpoint to measure his own and others' strength. That was why he had thought that it would take him a considerable time to reach the top of the tower.
But witnessing Nathaniel's raw prowess, Jin once again realized just how much he had underestimated the tower. He had known that no one had entered the seventh floor yet. The select few who had cleared the sixth floor now ruled over Acropolis.
'If someone like him hasn't attempted the sixth floor… There must surely be a reason. I'm still far too weak to find out about the actual workings of the higher rankers.'
The pressure on his shoulders dissipated, allowing him to breathe normally once again.
Nathaniel replied flatly.
"No. You don't need a reason to climb the tower. I wanted to know if you had any ulterior motives, that's all."
Standing back up, he walked to his desk.
"So, what is your answer?"
Jin smiled faintly as he stood up.
"This horde of pincers… what is their weakness?"