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Chapter 5: Gum

"Well, that depends on who your Divinity is," Hunter said pointing to his Mark, "I had to run like a madman for weeks to get my first Rank Up."

Feng Biao squinted at hearing another term he was unfamiliar with casually being tossed around. Registering the sound of the engine and the steady motion of the bus he continued listening to Hunter speak.

"Some people don't even have to fight you know like you've got a True Divinity from the Hindu pantheon. Let's say it was Ganesha, then you'd basically be forced indoors for the rest of your life. Studying and researching endlessly to Rank Up."

Feng Biao wanted to ask Hunter what terms like "Rank Up" meant directly, but he was still unsure if it was safe. How dangerous was revealing his lack of knowledge in this situation?

'When we get to the HCF boot camp they might make it obvious they're testing me for which Divinity I have. At that point, Hunter, and everyone else on this bus, would know.'

In the end, Feng Biao came to a decision, "Well that's my problem, I'm not sure who my Divinity even is," Feng Biao whispered as quietly as possible.

Feng Biao then watched Hunter's reaction, hoping it wouldn't be too negative.

Hunter scratched his head and replied, "You're from the slums around Guangzhou, huh?"

Feng Biao nodded and noticing Hunter's still friendly demeanor replied, "Yeah and I'm not familiar with a lot of the terms you've been using."

"I could kinda tell by the way you're dressed, the stains on your shirt don't exactly scream money."

Feng Biao looked at what he was wearing, he really had just been wearing the same clothes from when he had been scrubbing dishes. Looking around and focusing on the clothing of the students in the bus he noticed something as well.

Those who were dressed neatly tended to be sitting together, and they also had their Marks covered. While those who were dressed in the clothing typical of that in the slums, clothing that prioritized being worn over fashion, were sitting together and very few of them had their marks covered.

Hunter was an exception to this; he was dressed in jeans and a red and black striped flannel with an impressive hue. Just the color told Feng Biao Hunter's clothes were not cheap. Still, he had chosen to sit next to Feng Biao.

"I guess I'll try to fill you in as much as I can before we get to the HCF boot camp," Hunter said taking a piece of gum out of his pocket and offering a stick to Feng Biao.

"Thanks," Feng Biao said as he took the gum and chewed while continuing to listen to Hunter.

"A lot of people in this bus are probably like you. People from the slums who got Marked and probably have no idea what they've gotten into. They probably have a direct ancestor way up the family tree who was Marked nobody remembers and that combined with their luck got them here."

"Then you got people like me, people whose parents and grandparents and great grandparents are all Marked. With people like that the chance of us not being Marked is 0%."

"What are the chances of being Marked without any of your ancestors being Marked before?" Feng Biao curiously asked.

"Nowadays 1 in 100 million, which is probably why they don't bother educating every person alive the exact details of how this stuff works."

"Anyways, Feng Biao you're gonna need to get tested and see who your Divinity is ASAP when we get to the boot camp."

"Then I can begin to train?"

"Exactly, when you know the identity of your Divinity you'll be able to see your Contract."

"My Contract?" Feng Biao asked puzzled.

"Yeah, I'd show you what mine looks like but it's inside my head," Hunter said while poking his forehead.

"Alright," Feng Biao said as he nudged towards the front of the bus, "Then why do those people in the front have their Marks covered?"

Hunter didn't take a second before replying, "Their family probably told them to. It's a bit like openly carrying a gun to have an uncovered Mark. Some people think it's rude," Hunter said with a smile, "but I think it's cool."

"Or they're scared of showing they only have a Partial Divinity," Hunter said with a bit of disdain.

"Is it worse to have a Partial Divinity?"

"It's nowhere near as bad people make it out to be. You just need more luck and effort. I have a Partial Divinity from the Norse pantheon, and I'm sure I could take on any loser with a True Divinity who hasn't put in anywhere near the amount of time training I have," Hunter said while proudly waving his Mark.

As soon as he said that Feng Biao noticed sharp gazes being shot their way. Evidently, some people had been listening to them talk and we're looking towards Hunter's Mark, and Hunter himself.

Hunter noticed the stares but continued speaking, anger now filling his voice, "Just because Partial Divinities have bigger gaps between them than True Divinities people assume the worst. That's made some idiots get the idea that I'm nowhere near as strong as someone with a True Divinity."

"The gap between us really isn't that huge, not as big as the gap between True Divinities and Primordial Divinities, that's for sure," Hunter said having calmed down and sunk back into his seat.

Feng Biao could tell there was some amount of discrimination between those with Partial Divinities and those with True Divinities based on Hunter's tone. While curious to ask more questions, Feng Biao recognized some of the stares Hunter had received.

Glares filled with malice, not uncommon in the slums. Some had obviously taken offense to Hunter saying he could match up to a Marked with a True Divinity. Feng Biao decided it wasn't wise to continue bringing attention to Hunter and looked outside the window instead.

Outside he saw the bus traveling down what was a surprisingly well-maintained road. Asphalt, especially painted white, was something Feng Biao had rarely seen, cars generally did not make their way into the slums, for the roads, there had long been claimed by make-shift houses. In fact, this was only the third time in his life he had ever been in a vehicle.

Watching the sky grow darker the fatigue from today started to creep into Feng Biao. Checking Hunter he saw that he had already closed his eyes, not asleep, but clearly not wanting to be disturbed.

Feng Biao thought about what to do with the gum that had lost all flavor in his mouth. He opened the window, spat it out, watched as it whizzed past the bus, and truly felt the day was done.

He then closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.