Chapter 07 : Real Genius
*****
Troy entered the portal but what he next stunned him.
"????"
He standing just outside the entrance door of the dungeon. Behind him is the portal to the Trovell Forest.
In front of him, many soldiers running back and forth, pushing carts full of corpses.
Troy took a step forward to ask some of the soldiers when someone spoke behind him.
"You are the last person entered the dungeon. Troy De Silva, right?"
Troy looked behind him and saw the young guard who once check his ID.
He nodded.
"What happened here?"
Troy was confuse on what happened in this place while he was inside the dungeon.
The young guard looked at him with stern look.
"I need you to follow me. We need you to answers some of our questions."
Without waiting his answer, the young guard. He turned his back to Troy and started walking towards the tents that built nearby.
Troy furrowed his brows, confused what the young guard just said to him.
He only shrugged his shoulders and followed him quickly when the young guard stopped on his walks and looked at him.
But before that, Troy looked at the corpses that been picked up by the other soldiers and silently absorbed the loots.
The two stopped on the biggest tent. There are two soldiers holding their guns. The young guard nodded at them and the soldiers saluted him back.
He looked at Troy who's just behind him.
"Follow me."
The young guard entered first before Troy followed.
Troy scanned the people inside the room.
Four old men that wearing their soldier uniforms with medals on their chests.
The one on the middle was the only person recognized by Troy.
The old man who's standing together with young guard at the entrance.
"So, he has a high ranking status..."
The young guard took a sit beside the old man who's sitting at the middle.
Troy couldn't help but raised an eyebrow.
"Take a sit, young Awakener."
The old guard spoke. Troy sitted at the only empty chair on the other side of the table.
If one looked at the room, Troy was surrounded by high officials that itching to interrogate him.
Troy looked at the people in front of him but stopped on the old guard's place.
What piqued an interest to him was the item placed at the table.
(Item : Trovell Ent's Life Core)
"I want you to answer truthfully our questions we had."
Troy nodded. He answers them one after another after they throw questions at him but his eyes were greedily staring on the life core sitting at the table.
If he could only stepped forward for a few steps, he could loot the drops inside it.
Only fifteen minutes had passed when they're done interrogating him.
"Thank you for answering our invitation, Mr. De Silva."
One of the old men, Lieutenant Marco Knoxx.
He shook Troy's hands as he smiled genuine to him. Troy smiled back.
After exchanging pleasantries, he gave a last looked at lost towards the life core.
"Wait!"
The old guard's name, City Lord Cyrus Gothric, stopped him.
"I saw you keep looking at this item."
Troy waited for him to continue his words.
"Do you know what this is?"
City Lord picked it up, the life core reflected in his eyes.
"No, City Mayor."
Troy denied politely, answering with white lies.
"This is the life core of Trovell Ent. The dungeon boss of the Trovell Forest."
City Lord Cyrus smiled.
"I was lucky that Trovell Ent finally dropped this after 7 years in waiting."
Troy looked at him with surprised. He raised his hands and catched the life core that been thrown by City Lord towards him.
"Take this item. Treat it as my welcoming gift to you, Mr. De Silva."
City Lord Cyrus laughed and swing his hand on the air.
Troy took that gesture, asking him to leave the room. But before he left, he took a final glance and sincerely bowed at the city lord.
The gift would be forever etched on his, always remember that there's still good people to meet on his life.
Troy left the tent with with grinned on his face.
"Its time to earn my Infinite Loot!"
*****
"What's your thoughts on the kid, everyone?"
City Lord Cyrus asked as he smiled and thought the past adventures he did.
He was so amazed that the guy named Troy De Silva soloed his first run.
Cyrus did it many times in the past in his younger years but he accumulated experience and strength first by teaming up with a party before soloing a dungeon.
The silence in the room was cutted off as Griaz speak.
"He's a liar."
City Lord Cyrus furrowed his brows and everyone looked at Griaz.
"Why do say so?"
Someone asked.
"When Cyrus asked the if he knew what the life core is, he denied. But actually he already knew it from the start when he first step inside on this room."
City Lord Cyrus closed his eyes while muttering something on his breath. When opened it, his eyes gleamed with something.
"Continue, Griaz."
"He's afraid, Cyrus. As if he's hiding something from us. All I could hear was jumbled thoughts."
Griaz touched his chin as his fingers tap occasionally on the table.
"He's hidden his bloodthirst perfectly. He think he could hide it from us but I could perfectly smell the blood scent coming on his body."
Marco chimed in as he smiled. But his smile gleamed with ferocity.
"You sure Marco?"
City Lord Cyrus wanted to confirm.
"Yes, City Lord. Maybe he could it from others but my talent, Blood Heart, thumped excitedly, your Honor."
City Lord Cyrus and others quickly pinched their noses as the metallic scent of blood mixed in the air.
This is one the effects of his talent. His body will release this kind of scent whenever he feel excited.
"City Lord, I have something to tell."
Zemick's voice boomed.
"Ugh, we could hear you Zemick."
Griaz grimacely covered his ears as he sat next to Zemick.
"Uhum."
Zemick cleared his throat.
"My talent, AI Buddy, checked his ID storage. And let me tell you the thing what I've found."
Zemick excitedly said and stopped a little bit, giving them a suspense.
"Thousands of Stat Cores and hundreds of unique equipments."
The people inside stand up on their feet as their eyes widened in surprised.
"ARE YOU SURE?!"
City Lord Cyrus exclaimed.
"Yes, City Lord. Just the amount of Fang Blades reached almost 500. Jewelry Type Equipments like Lightning Rings and Frost Rings are in tens. Even some unique items are being registered newly on the data bank."
Zemick excitedly roared.
City Lord sat weakly on his chair as he massaged his temples. He quickly thought his talent and started scanning his memories.
"Lucky Hand? No."
"Luck Dice? No."
"Lucky Aura? Impossible!"
"Uncle, you should recruit him." Lowelk finally spoke.
City Lord Cyrus woke from his trance and lookrd at his nephew.
Lowelk Morgan, the youngest son of Yale Morgan and his elder sister, Vextra Gothric.
His father, who a city lord also like him, sent his son to this place.
City Lord Cyrus nodded but keep his mouth shut.
"City Lord. Young Master Lowelk. I beg to differ."
Meral the advisor of the City Lord chimed in. He was a trusted advisor and his bestfriend. He had also been with Cyrus for how many years in his adventure.
Lowelk lookead at him with a glare but City Lord Cyrus nodded and let him speak further.
"City Lord. Young Master Lowelk. I think its better to nurture a relationship rather than taking him in a aggresive way. Befriending him is a must. But making him an enemy must be avoided at all cost."
City Lord Cyrus looked at him gratefully. But Lowelk furrowed his brows.
"Why would befriending him if we could recruit him in our army. This would strengthened our forces."
City Lord Cyrus sighed with exasperation.
"Nephew, the reason why father sent you here is because to fix your attitude towards others. Being arrogant is good but you should match those with your ability."
Lowelk looked at his uncle with angry eyes.
"I'm stronger than him."
"Yes! Your stronger and a genius in our family. But there are geniuses out there that survive on the world by their own. Not depending on strength of the background like him."
City Lord Cyrus cutted him and put more weight on his words.
"How many times did you solo a dungeon, Lowelk?"
"Are you pointing out, I can't solo a dungeon?"
"That's not what I mean. What I'm saying, the guy you think you could forcefully enlist is a genius. A true genius!"
City Lord Cyrus exclaimed.
"Among the top strongest human powerhouse in the world, are people who once soloed the dungeons in their first run. And that's the time where humanity plunged in apocalypse."
"Take the top 1, Skyflame Theodore of the Union Association. One of his myths is, he cleared a total of 23 dungeons on the first year of Apocalypse, stopping the falldown of the old European Union."
"Ishkar Vladiks! The Thunderlord! He destroyed 3 Sky Dungeons that floating around the fallen country Russia!"
"The Titan Slayer, Sebil! He hunted 12 Titan Monsters of the Pacific Rim Underwater Dungeon."
"Picked one name on the rank list, they created myths behind their names! Everyone of them are true genius! Just like your father!"
"My father?"
Lowelk was confused.
"Yes. Your father. You think your father reached the top because of his background? His clan? No! Your father reached the top by himself. The powerful Morgan Clan was started because of him."
"The media talks about how Morgan Clan birthed a genius, pushing your father in front. But the reality is your father created the Morgan Clan, not the Morgan Clan created him! Its himself. His self power!"
City Lord Cyrus coldly explained the truth behind.
"But your father couldn't refute the media! Because its also true that he didn't built the clan by himself but a his group of his friends in his past adventure."
"Lowelk, you know the reality what's inside of your clan. The once mighty Morgan Clan is full on infightings. Your father already saw what it might happened in the future. Its also the reason why your father sent you here. To escape the treachery! Hiding under the wings of Gothric Clan could save your life. But its temporarily."
"Your father also thought that you couldn't reach the height he once reached with only your potential. True, your also a genius but your father's talent is also one of kind. A potential that reached the dragon peak."
"Its also the reason why your father sent you here. Look for teammates. A trusted friend. A real genius that could you could rely on your path."
"Think about it Lowelk. Your understanding towards the word 'genius' than mine are world's apart. I've seen real geniuses enough. And that geniuses were destined to walk in path with pits of fire and mountain of swords."
Lowelk was finally stunned as the words sink in. He didn't even notice that his uncle and him were only left inside.
Cyrus sighed in his heart. He did all of this to shatter the prideful heart of his nephew. He gave him a final looked and left with echo words.
"That genius doesn't need to walk alone to his glorious path. You can ride his myths by also helping him. The earlier you do it, the deeper he would owe you in his heart."
Only the words rung inside Lowelk's head as he woke up alone, standing in trance.