As the mist caused by the destruction subsided, Atlas appeared in the path of the chaotic crossfire, lightning Aura crackling wildly in his palms.

"Ehhhh..." Hugh waved weakly at Atlas, collapsing on the ground due to exhaustion. Using that series of techniques really drained him completely.

Blade on the other hand knelt on the frenzy patterns of earth, supporting himself with his blade as he exhaled for a deep breath of air.

Nova dashed beside Blade, apprehending him with one arm over his neck. He felt quite a vigorous resistance which was accurately comparable to a Tier 1 Axonn's strength. "That was amusing! Aren't you a Tier 9 Tyro? How did you manage to produce such power and damage?"

"That's a secret I can't reveal." Blade smiled. He was surprisingly still losing a front tooth at the age of 13, his permanent teeth growing at a seemingly slow pace.

"You can let him go Nova. I believe he can become a good friend of ours." Hugh got up, limping towards Blade until his foot finally recovered and aided Blade to get up.

"That's actually a good idea, we need some more help for our mission." Atlas whispered to Nova. "You also saw that kid using one arm the whole fight right?"

Nova nodded with approval. Indeed. As bystanders, it was not difficult to notice the boy named Blade simply using a single arm to control his body movement with the other kept behind his back.

"What are guys doing here anyway? And how did you find me?" Hugh murmured 'GG' to Blade before asking.

"Well, that's something we'll have to discuss on private. And naming your gym Kent gym? There's nothing more obvious than that."

"I see. We can go upstairs to hold this conversation. But first, I gotta settle these people down."

Atlas watched as Hugh drowned in the embrace of the confused yet happy children. [He's d.a.m.n good as a protector of people.]

——————————

Gathered upstairs, were a group of 12 of mixed ethnicity, but all with the same purpose, to take down the Sinister Scales.

Hugh was all around supportive. For Blade, well, he claimed that his sensei requested him to explore the world on his own. Blade is really inert and has never stepped out to the outside world when he was young, so he is always mildly blur to surrounding and during interactions.

Ever since, he has been grinding with the Dexter Billboard just to encounter Warriors equivalent to him. He accepted this offer without hesitation.

He was up for a challenge.

"A Tier 6 Elite. One Tier 5 Expert and Tyro. As well as more than 10 Axonns and a double decker school bus of Aura Users. Blackbear! I thought you said it'll be easy!" Fatsoy glowered at Blackbear, slapping his cheeks as if trying to wake up from a mortifying nightmare.

It was lucid that Fatsoy was expressing sarcasm, but nevertheless, the fact that the enemy has outnumbered them greatly cannot be neglected.

"No need to panic. I already have a perfect solution for that case." Atlas said. "Serpent. May you kindly present your speech.

Serpent scanned the room before opening his mouth. "Anyone close to me would know what I'm a little infamous for— inventing poison."

Lady Scorpio, Percy, Blackbear, Fatsoy, Louis and even Atlas s.h.i.+vered slightly. You said little?! Says the person who dropped poison into an opposing mercenary's water source and disabled almost every person for 24 hours. They completed that hired mission without a drop of sweat and obtained the stolen expensive orb of whatever it was to its original owner in less than a day.

"There's a formula I have. It will enable us to wipe out the Sinister Scales, because it can kill a Tier 3 Axonn almost instantly. Its even poisonous enough to paralyze a Tier 5 Axonn for nearly 10 minutes."

Nearly everyone gasped in astonishment, but Petal remained dubious, countering with another question. "We're talking bout a Tier 6 Axonn here. That's the main problem."

"Let me get there. From my extensive tests and speculations, my A07 can temporarily paralyze a Tier 6 Axonn. I do not know how long in exact. But..." he grinned. "Even a few seconds is enough for Warriors like us to strike."

"However..." this word lowered the expectation in their hearts. "I don't think I can find effective or matching venom here. The city area does not have the snakes or scorpions they have in the deserts."

Petal raised her arm. "I'll help you create it. I have some knowledge in inventing paralyzing and sleep powdered too."

Nova murmured. "And there is most likely a black market farm in Daxrim City which generates the ingredients you require. If that doesn't work out, I can still probably solve that problem."

The Coiling Dragon Arena is sure to be selling weird stuff like that.

"Since we now have an immaculate solution, all we require is Borus's presence. We should not even think a second about entering the tiger's cave, because we'd lose the upper hand of territorial advantage. We could just invite him here but he'll decline for as its clearly a trap. What we need is a bait. To lure him in, or to even force him to come."

Blackbear said. "I heard he's a very l.u.s.tful man. Maybe seduce tactic? Lady Scorpio, you've never failed that before right?"

"No. Bad idea." Atlas shook his head and rejected that plan. "Borus is a Tier 6 Axonn. How would he not be able to sense that she's a Warrior too? It's too risky."

"I can provide more information." All eyes s.h.i.+fted to Hugh. "According to my years of hunting and research, the Rent Family is extremely close to the Sinister Scales."

Everyone frowned with bewilderment to Hugh's conversation, but Atlas motioned him to go on. "The Rent Family has not valuable enough for the Sinister Scales to lay their eyes on. So I'm a.s.suming it's a person that links them together."

"So if we capture that person, it may draw Borus to us?"

"There is a huge possibility it can work, but also a degree of uncertainty it won't."

"Here comes the most important question, who's volunteering to face Borus? I mean, the head of the pack needs to be slain in order to claim the victory."

Atlas snapped his finger and a spark zapped midair. "Either Nova or I. We're both fast."

"Well then, it's settled. All we gotta do is prepare and investigate the connections between the Rent Family and the Sinister Scales. We are dismissed." Nova declared, ending the confidential meeting.

"Before we separate, let's go have lunch first. Hear that growl? I'm starving." Atlas's stomach grumbled loud enough to echo longingly in the room.

The Summit Five Star Hotel is elaborately lavish. And it had awesome food to set off its glamour.

As a celebration for being upgraded into a Cla.s.s 1 Mercenary, they feasted in one of the private rooms they had to pay a high price for in order to accommodate them all, ordering the best delicacies.

"Woah! So how does mercenaries work? Like how does the whole thing operate? Where do you get firearms and ammunition....?" Tristan asked curiously, begging for an answer and another continuously.

Blade was clearly not an outgoing person, honing his Blade thoroughly even though the rust was internally inscribed in the sharp solid surface while listening to the conversation quietly and calmly.

"It's complicated. You create your mercenary. You register. You advertise it to the upper community. Then you prove yourself through your first job. Then..." Blackbear began answering Tristan.

The mood settled zestfully and the rest continued eating their food, enjoying the time of their lives.

—————————

"Huwww—" a stream of vomit bursted from the mouth of the young man's steaming red face. Few other young men with disheveled appearance patted his back to comfort his drunk a.s.s body while few middle aged men in black suit guarded the toilet door with an emotionless look, glaring at the pa.s.serby until their scurried off.

The reeking stench of alcohol vomit mixture drove all signs of sanity away from the youngster's brains.

The young man who threw up gargled, "Boys! Tonight we drink... more!"

"Whoo!"

"Yeah!"

Tumbling and falling, they headed to their private room.

"Young master! I think you're going to the incorrect room. It's over..." one of the guards realized that the young man was opening the door of a different private room.

The young man shouted angrily, kicking open the door. "Shut the f*ck up. This is... my room!"

The body guards sighed. Sad for the people inside. They'll probably have to throw them out for no reason at all.

———————————

Atlas heard some crazy guy shouting vulgarities outside in the hall before the door got kicked open.

The young man squinted to improve his myopic vision. "What the... f*ck are you doing in my private room! Get out! Guards! Throw them out! I don't want to... see them ever again!"

Everyone paused at the things they were doing, staring at the insane young man who was screaming hoa.r.s.ely at the top of his lungs with perplexity and indignation.

"Wait? Bob?" Atlas recognized the drunken squealing man. It is the 'bully' Bob from BeiLing School that he attended for a day with... Vanellope.

Atlas felt a painful jerk in his heart. [Imagine if she was by my side...]

"You! You are the Bob who clearly isn't a Bob!" The drunk Bob mumbled words that didn't really make any sense, his face piping red as if blood would pour out in any second.

One of his friends with a less blur mind pointed at Atlas. "You will pay for attacking us last time! We cannot break the rules in school! But you are in no control here!"

"Yeah!" Another young man, who Atlas remembered cried from falling on the ground last time, hung one arm around Bob. "Do you know who our number one bro is?! He is the precious son of the Rent Family you puny peasant! Get out by yourself and kneel like a dog!"

Bob smiled drunkenly. He enjoyed the compliment profoundly.

Atlas, Hugh and Nova exchanged whimsical glances.

Nice stroke of Serendipity?