03 - Oh Brothers

"Thanks, I owe you one," Mitch said as he finished his shower. His broad shoulders and chiseled eight-pack glistened under dimly lit LED fixtures.

Ian shrugged. As a mortal with negligible spiritual abilities, his role in the otherworld realm was limited to that of a porter. Physical fitness was essential for survival; dragging out someone nearly twice his weight was no easy feat, though not beyond his capabilities.

"You owe me for those items I had to throw out and the goblin bait," Ian remarked dryly.

"What items?" Mitch said, but then recalled the camouflage bag Ian had cast aside in order to carry him out. Knowing Ian's interest, the items were likely mundane plants and insects from the otherworld realm, nothing of any value. "Oh, those. You know they're useless, even a green item is useless in the real world."

"Hey, you never know. There might be hidden items with a faint glow that we may have missed."

Mitch rolled his eyes, dismissing the notion. Most glows were consistent, and the idea of mythical grey items remained unverified despite decades of exploration. That didn't stop people from trying or spreading fake forum posts about them. There were also guilds focused on finding such items.

"Don't give me that look," Ian persisted. "Just because it hasn't been verified doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's possible the government has it, but keeps it a secret. Heck, if I find a gray item, I wouldn't let anyone know about it." 

Mitch grinned, conceding that Ian might have a point. Their most recent failed mission was proof. Blinded by the potential of a green item, the party members opened the wooden chest that triggered a trap. They all knew there was a potential for a trap, but the allure of the green item was too much, even if the odds were low. To them, it was better to sacrifice the $50,000 than to miss out on a green item that was worth at least $250,000. Per their contract, the first person to touch the treasure chest would have the option to buy out the item. Kramer was the most disappointed that it was a trap. The dining set was worth $10,000 at an auction, but it paled in comparison to a real treasure with a green glow.

As Ian and Mitch made their way to the parking lot, they passed by another party who were gearing up. Ian offered them information on the two goblin corpses for $1,000 and they readily agreed. Even without the information, they may encounter the two corpses on their own through luck, but the information was well worth it. Otherworld runs weren't always about skill, but about lucky encounters. After the quick transaction, Mitch drove Ian back into town.

"Do you ever ask yourself whether $1,000 is worth putting your life on the line?" Mitch asked as he drove back into town in a somber tone. He was still lamenting the $80,000 loss of goblin corpses. No matter how skilled he was, luck wasn't on his side.

"$2,500," Ian corrected.

On the guild registration, Ian was listed as a porter and doctor. He had learned medical techniques to increase his odds of being selected for a party. Others referred to him as the worst healer, but he was still highly coveted by parties without any healer. New rankers were willing to take the risk to bring in an unranked doctor, which was rarer considering it took more than guts for a non-ranking human to enter the otherworld realm. Most non-ranker ended up dying early, especially when the otherworld realm first appeared. The number of non-ranker had reduced, but there were always fools like Ian taking their chances.

"I make more than a medical doctor," Ian liked to brag. On average, he joined four to six missions and made $10,000 a week. The amount was higher considering it was more difficult for non-ranker to earn federation dollars.

Mitch understood the need for money, but Ian's family wasn't in any dire need. They started out as factory workers years ago, but after Ian's brother was commissioned into the Matupa Academy military unit and then knighted, the family was given a small house that they used to open a small diner. Not many commoners could cultivate enough spiritual powers to become a military officer like Logan. It was the type of stories commoners liked to hear and gossip about, which made Logan a local celebrity in Worchest.

"What useless items are you going to buy next?" Mitch guessed that Ian was going to blow away his earnings on some laboratory equipment. "You can easily get any sort of job with your older brother's connection, why bother researching?"

"You think I'm going to ask that meathead for a recommendation letter?" Ian's eyes twitched just thinking about asking Logan for a recommendation.

"How about your other brother?" Mitch asked. "Isn't he being recruited by the Magician Academy?"

"Luke is skipping the academy. The Magician Guild in Anatolia has already decided to register him as a rank D magician, so he's going to start training soon," Ian replied in a proud tone. Out of the four siblings, the youngest brother Luke was the most sensible and responsible.

"Your middle brother?"

"Kane? That brat? I don't know, he hasn't called home in ages." They had a family group chat where Kane made an occasional 'hm' in the comment. To Ian, it didn't count as communication. Despite them both being the middle child and closest in age, they didn't always see eye to eye.

"Your brothers sure are something, are you sure your parents aren't secretly some sort of high ranking nobles?" Mitch wondered how it was possible for two commoners to produce three children with powerful spiritual talents. There were rumors about them being retired agents of the kingdom.

Ian laughed it off. His parents were common factory workers who lucked out with their children. His three brothers were geniuses in different fields of spiritual awakening. Logan excelled in physical enhancement, Luke excelled in elemental manipulation, and Kane excelled in plain manipulation.

In many ways, Ian was also considered lucky. He didn't have to work hard or put himself in danger. He had the option to work in the restaurant and live off of his siblings. His parents wondered if it was his pride that made him enter the otherworld realm.

"Did you ever wonder why you don't have spiritual powers like your brothers?" Mitch asked.

"Who said I don't?" Asked Ian.

"You have a one."

"I had a one." Ian felt himself growing stronger after the previous otherworld realm run.

Children born after 1970 were tested in the hospital. Most children start out with one and gradually increase to three at the age of five. When the body fully matures, most of the population could reach 5 SP. Less than five percent of the population were capable of gaining 10 SP by the age of eighteen. Ian had been stuck with one SP since birth. Most people would have given up, but Ian didn't care. As long as he could continue his research, getting stronger was only a means to an end.

According to Luke, the best way to increase spiritual powers was experience within the otherworld realm. Inside the otherworld realm, the spiritual powers were much stronger, which humans could absorb. There were theories and practices to increase spiritual powers, but not many were readily available. The methods that circulated online were not the most efficient method. Ian knew as he had tested most of the methods.

They headed toward the ORA training center. Mitch didn't want to discourage Ian, but as a friend, it was best to put some common sense into Ian. If there was anyone who needed common sense, it was Ian. At the training center, Ian paid $1,000 to measure his spiritual power (SP.) After six months of continuous training and risking his life in the otherworld realm, he hoped for some sort of improvement.

Inside the testing chamber, the full body scanner scanned the body like the MRI machine. A number appeared on the monitor, '2.' Ian smiled. He finally increased his spiritual power. It took him twenty-three years, but he finally gained an additional SP. It paled in comparison to Logan who had 271, Luke who had 190, and Kane with 221, but it was a large achievement for Ian. Some people, like his brothers, could easily absorb spiritual powers without outside influence. It was why they were naturally known as geniuses.

"So, what's the result?" Mitch asked when he saw Ian leaving the chamber.

Ian showed off a victory sign using his two fingers.

"Congratulations, you now have two SP," Mitch sarcastically commented. He himself had 54, making him a rank D tank.

"I doubled my SP," Ian corrected him. Ian had an optimistic outlook on his overall strength as it wasn't important to him. As long as he could compile all the data in the otherworld realm, it was enough to keep him satisfied. "Let's check to see if anyone else is requesting a party."

Mitch checked the ORA App. There were three active parties within a ten-miles radius looking for additional members. "There's a party looking for a tank to enter Neuman's otherworld realm."

"Neuman's otherworld realm? Is it a group of newbies?" asked Ian. Neuman's otherworld realm sat on top of the hill near town. Due to its location, it was practically empty from overmining and only new rankers or trainees go there. Ian, himself, had been to Neuman's many times.

"Yeah, a team of seven. They have a time slot assigned to them for tomorrow."

The two friends signed up for the next exploration. 

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