Komaru got up from his bed and opened the door of his room. Moving out into the corridor, he turned towards his left, where Shizuku's room was.
The house they were living in was owned by Kevin, who for some reason was stupidly rich.
All that money yet can't get back his hair... Komaru chuckled.
He knocked on Shizuku's door. "Who is it?" asked Shizuku.
To which, Komaru cleared his throat and replied, "Its me,Komaru. I have a few questions."
Then, after a few moments, the door was opened and Komaru saw Shizuku.
Whenever the people had any doubts, they would go ask Shizuku. It wouldn't be wrong to say that she was like an elder sister to them. Although she was indeed a year older than them.
Shizuku sat on the bed, and gestured Komaru to sit on the chair infront.
"So,what is it that you want to ask?" She asked.
"I need money, for which, I need a good job." Komaru answered without hesitation.
"Why don't you ask Kevin for the money?"
You think I haven't thought about asking him? "You know his parents have stopped giving him extra money right?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Well in that case, getting a job is the best course of action. So, what line of profession do you wish to join?"
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a permanent job. A temporary job for around a few months should do. It would be good if its related more to brains than brawn. It should be high paying, of course."
"Hmm...the best job for that would be becoming a detective. But that would require you to wait for clients, hence the income won't be consistent. How about getting a job thats compatible with what ability you have, assuming that you have created one?"
"Thats not a bad idea. My ability has to do with electricity."
"In that case, there are a few options. You can be an electrician, but that doesn't pay too much. Hmm...how about joining a faction? You can opt out of combat, and focus more on being a strategist. If you want to leave, you can simply give a resignation letter. "
Factions are basically a group of individuals who have similar goals. Some factions are legally allowed by the government, while some operate illegally, doing criminal activities.
"A faction isn't too bad. Can you find me a good faction I can join?"
"I have one in mind. You can join The Watcher's Group, they pay the most, and they would also give you a place to stay. They have a base here in Dugiv, near the Caveru street's old fort.
"But you would have to sign a contract to be a member for atleast 6 months before you start receiving your monthly salary. I think you still have time before going to Blazenk city right?"
To which, Komaru replied, "Yes, I do. Tell me all the details about the faction first."
"Alright." She nodded, and picked her laptop from the desk near her bed.
Openeing it, she went on the internet and searched up Watcher's Group.
"As you can see, Watcher's Group was established in the early 1300s, before Dugiv city even existed. The founder of the faction is unknown, but theres rumours that they were immortal.
"They worship the Ancient deity Vorthas, also known as the Watcher of the Universe. He is a deity who represents neutrality the best among the select few deities, which is why the faction itself has no clear long term goal. Their main focus is basically to keep protecting their deity."
"Protecting the deity? But why? If he's a deity, why would he need some mortals to protect him?"
"Well, as you know, Vorthas is a neutral deity. So he doesn't really have good combat prowess. And because of this, a lot of groups worshipping other deities try to harm him."
"How would they harm him, and in the first place, why would they even harm him? I don't get it."
"It's because people believe that Vorthas is..." she paused, and said, "Well, I don't really know much, and its certainly not worth telling you, because its a shitty rumour."
Komaru looked visibly annoyed for a second, but quickly adjusted himself. "Whatever. Tell me how can I apply for the job?"
....
Somewhere in a dark hallway, a feminine voice echoed, "The Artifact was used, the job is partially done, Great Sage."
A large roar was then heard, and suddenly, an eye popped up from the dark, then another eye, then another eye.
Beneath the three eyes, a large bloody tentacle crawled, and from within it came out a human's crushed head, it's brain being visible through it.
"Grrr" a sound echoed. Blood started flowing from the tentacle. Suddenly, a voice started coming out from the crushed human's head.
"Arghhh....arghhh" The voice was filled with pain. The human, although their head crushed, was still somehow alive, being able to feel the pain.
.....
Komaru was sitting on his bed, with his phone in his hand.
"Go to Caveru street and apply to join the faction as a low ranking member who does not wish to change his faith....well, its not like I worship anyone specifically." Komaru muttered.
In Grazinas, the majority of the population worshipped either Shagor, or Caribela. But it wasn't uncommon for people to worship other deities. It also wasn't uncommon for people to not worship anyone at all.
"Haa..." he stretched his back. "240 Pon per year is not bad, but since its only for six months, I would have to adjust with just 120 Pon. Its not bad but...."
The average salary for an adult in Grazinas is 210 Pon per year. This number goes up when the data is specified towards combat related jobs, going upto 270-350 Pon per year. But that's only if the person is a member of a faction, a soldier, or a policeman.
This data does not include people below the age of 20, because thats the age where a minor becomes an adult officially in Grazinas. Since Komaru was still 16, he would receive less than the average salary.
Since Komaru was applying for a job which although was related to brains not brawn, it was still classified into combat.
In Grazinas, the jobs that paid the most were being a mercenary, a hunter or a politician. The first two were part of the private sector, so the income wasn't consistent, but since they are client related, they paid high.
"Fuck it, its not like I can't survive with 120 Pon. And its not like I am gonna stay in Blazenk forever. Maybe an year or so? If I run out of money, I can always apply for another faction."
"In the first place, I don't understand why being a member of the faction is considered as a job."
He then stretched his arms, and laid down on his bed.
"I would go to Caveru street tomorrow. Behind the old fort is their main base. Shizuku said being a low ranking member, who isn't even involved in combat, can pay 240 pon, which is more than an adult working their ass off."
He then turned towards his phone and checked the time. "9 P.M. Guess I should go sleep early."
Komaru usually followed a specific time table, where he went to sleep between 10 PM to 12 PM.
"Gotta turn off the lights." He said while slowly getting up.
But he stopped. Then, from his pocket, he took out a pen. "Might as well try to turn it off by throwing this pen."
Then, grabbing onto the pen, he aimed at the switchboard on the wall near a photo hanging on the wall. It was of him with his parents.
He threw the pen. It missed the switchboard and instead hit the photo frame. "Shit! I missed." He got up from his bed, picked the broken photo frame and threw it in the dustbin.
Then, he turned the lights off and went to bed. He also made sure to pull the pen back to him by using the thread connected to it.
He had a thought in his mind. This ability that I have, is it really suitable for me? I mean, not only do I have a shitty aim, I also did not focus on reinforcing my body. Worst part is, although I've added an axiom to make the pen very durable, it could still be stolen. In that case, shouldn't I be able to find the pen back if I try to trace back my primal energy?
Looking back at it, I could have chosen a better weapon, maybe a sword? But then the strings would be useless since I wouldn't have enough power to throw it around and pull it back to me. I guess a pen fits nicely. People would drop their guards when they look at me and see a pen instead of a sword or gun.
Komaru had thoughts about how he would perform in real combat. Keep in mind, he had never engaged in official combat. Only small fights with Carlo or Kevin, but thats it.
So for him to have such type of thoughts, reflected his excitement. He imagined various scenarios in his mind. Scenarios of him fighting people using his pen.
One scenario had him throwing a pen at his opponent's leg only to quickly pull it back and hit him in his face. Some had him killing villains with a smile on his face, as if he was a hero saving the world.
It was a childish dream. His excitement about his new ability made him imagine such things. But he had forgotten that he was joining the faction as someone who focused on being a strategist and not combat.
His current imagination contradicted his behavior when he was with Shizuku, where he talked about how he did not want to be a combat specialist.
The reason for this contradiction, was unclear. The most probable answer was that he was still a teenager. And teenagers usually had this kind of contradictory behavior.
The night continued in silence. The bright moon shined brightly, it's light entering through the window into Komaru's room.
.....
It was a gloomy atmosphere. Dark red sky, with no stars visible. Black fog surrounded the entire area, making everything not visible.
Through the fog, a pair of red eyes suddenly popped up. Tears of blood were continuously pouring down onto the seemingly invisible ground.
"Ahahahahaha! What a fucking beautiful scene this is. Seeing you in such a pitiful state, its wonderful. No wonder Roosevelt always let his enemies die slowly instead of killing them instantly. Ahahahahahaha! Look at you,heheheehehehehe!" A loud echo of laughter emerged from the direction opposite to the pair of eyes.
"You know what? This scene, is very familiar to me. A scene like this has actually happened with me. Though it wasn't me who was crying like a bitch, ahahahahaha." The laughter continued for what seemed like hours.