Chapter 18: Refinery

Shoun stared at the notification and the dead body of the vestige for a few seconds, conflicting emotions swirling in his mind, until the pain in his body brought him back to reality.

—Ugh!—He groaned, trying to stop the bleeding from his left shoulder by pressing his right hand against it. Not long after, Kaze arrived with his green amulet in hand, ready to heal Shoun's wounds—...Thanks, Kaze.

—No problem—Kaze dismissed quickly after finishing healing Shoun's injuries, then tossed him his clothes.

—Hey, be careful with that! It's collector's edition!—Shoun caught the clothes quickly and brushed off the dirt, though he didn't put them on since they were still stained with fresh blood.

—Sorry... We have to carry this, right?—He said, pointing at the headless corpse of the vestige.

—That's what the mission said. You carry it; my whole body hurts—Shoun started walking without waiting for Kaze's response. The masked man didn't mind and hoisted the corpse over his shoulders, following Shoun.

The two walked in silence for a while. When they finally started leaving the area of black smoke, Kaze broke the silence.

—In that fight... you fought well, but you acted a bit strange.

—Strange?

—For most of it, you made more mistakes than you normally would. With your strength and cunning, I think that fight should've been much easier than it was—Kaze said in his monotone voice, looking at Shoun. He could see his companion was in a complicated state but wasn't sure how to help, so he decided to be direct and ask.

—Well... that thing brought back memories. Not just from that night, but also from what came after... I thought that after everything we've been through, the opponent would be easier.

—Then you were stupid.

—Huh? Do you have to be so rude!?

—I'm telling you the truth. In principle, Seekers shouldn't be facing opponents above their rank. Just because we're special doesn't mean we should let it go to our heads. My artifact can heal you to a certain extent, but it can't bring people back from the dead.

—...You're right. Thanks, and sorry for worrying you—Shoun apologized in a low tone. Kaze wasn't wrong, and after all, he had more experience, so it made sense to listen to him—(Though it seems that outside of fights and survival, he's pretty clueless).

—It's fine. By the way, you mentioned something about "what happened after that night." What do you mean?—Hearing the masked man's question, Shoun looked away and lowered his head before answering.

—I don't want to talk about it. Sorry—The memory of the night he became a Seeker haunted him constantly, but the years after that weren't much better. Every time he thought about those times, he felt chills. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kaze enough to tell him; he just didn't feel comfortable thinking about those times in general. While Kaze didn't understand why Shoun didn't want to talk about it, he let it go. After all, it didn't seem like something that would put them at risk or anything like that. Pressuring Shoun would only make him angry or worse.

The two continued walking until they completely left the area of black smoke. Shoun suddenly stopped when he realized something.

—Kaze, where are we going?

—We're going to the base. Isn't it obvious?

—Yeah, but aren't you supposed to be able to summon that thing whenever you want?

—...

—...

—I forgot—Shoun visibly facepalmed at his companion's stupidity, but after thinking about it for a moment, he just sighed.

—Look, you know what? It doesn't matter. We were going there anyway. After all, we still have an Alpha Wretch's body ready and waiting to test our reward—Shoun said with visible greed in his eyes and voice, which oddly made Kaze shiver a little.

After a while, the two arrived at the park area where the Hydra's intact body was.

—By the way, Shoun, can't you summon the base yourself? You're the Secondary Administrator, after all.

—I thought about that too. I tried, but I don't feel anything different about that ability. Liam said I can only ask questions freely... this Secondary Administrator rank is a scam—Shoun said with visible frustration. He signaled for Kaze to open the entrance to the base. After leaving the clothes and the Grunt's corpse, they decided to move the Hydra's body inside before turning in the mission.

—Okay... 1... 2... 3!—Kaze shouted as he lifted and pulled one end. Both slowly moved toward the door, which they thought would be the hardest part to get through, but surprisingly, it expanded enough to let the body pass. Kaze didn't stay long to watch, as moving such a large thing was exhausting for both of them. The last time they did this, it took even longer because they had to move it a greater distance.

—Ugh... ugh, please let's not move something like this again for a while—Shoun said as he collapsed onto the sofa.

—We still have to move it to claim the reward.

—That won't be necessary. Administrators, would you like to turn in both corpses? If you do, they will be available for immediate use. For more information, visit the operations room—Liam explained in his robotic voice. As if by magic, Shoun's face regained color, and he bolted straight to that room. Kaze, on the other hand, simply followed his companion after answering Liam's question with a yes.

At that moment, both vestige bodies were in the foyer, but they disappeared as if by magic.

The two sat back at the table and saw a hologram projecting in the center once again.

[Congratulations, you have completed the initial mission!]

After reading that phrase, a congratulatory sound played from all corners, and confetti and balloons fell.

—Congratulations, Administrators, on completing your first mission!

—Thanks, Liam.

—I hope we don't have to clean all this up ourselves—Shoun muttered while looking around for the Refinery—Liam, where's the machine?

—Right there, Administrator—With those words, a corner of the room opened up, revealing a large machine that rose and installed itself in the corner. It was orange, three meters tall, and one meter long. On the left side were various screens, while on the right was a white platform—Let me explain how it works. On the left side, you can select specifically what you want to create with the available resources. Options range from clothes to weapons or amulets. Each corpse has a different size and characteristics, so what you can make will depend on the body. Once you decide what you want, it will appear on that platform. If you want custom clothing, stand on the platform so the machine can take your measurements. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Both young men approached and examined the machine more closely. The screen on the left asked them to first select the type of item they wanted to process. The options ranged from clothes, amulets, and weapons, just as Liam had said. It was at that moment that Shoun looked at Kaze and asked:

—How are we splitting the loot?—Despite his greed, Shoun couldn't be inconsiderate of his companion, and it wouldn't be right to decide for him.

—Well, you killed the Grunt. That body is yours to decide what to do with. As for the Hydra, we both need to agree on what to do with it since we both contributed to taking it down—Faced with this logical explanation, Shoun had nothing to refute, so they both started thinking about what to do with the Hydra's body.

—Hmm... we could use part of it to make a uniform for Sein. We can't send him into battle without any protection.

—It's our reward. Maybe we should use it for ourselves. Besides, you don't have a uniform either, and mine is only Grunt-quality, so I'll need to upgrade it eventually. I think we should use it for that—one for you and a new one for me—Shoun hesitated, but after thinking about everything they went through to kill that creature, he felt he deserved that reward. Plus, he could still make a uniform with the other body—We could even reuse this uniform and give it to Sein.

—Sein is much smaller than you. It wouldn't fit him... and your style is pretty unique—Kaze said the last part trying not to laugh, though he didn't understand why—Alright, you convinced me. Let's do that. I wanted a uniform too—Shoun took charge of the process. He first selected the "Clothing" option and then chose the Hydra's body on the screen. Instantly, various options appeared, ranging from giant armor with black plates and spikes to lighter armor with similar black plates—...Honestly, none of this appeals to me. It looks uncomfortable to wear armor.

—I get what you're saying.

—Hey, Liam, can't you make something like this?—Shoun asked, holding up his hoodie and jean jacket.

—Of course, Secondary Administrator. Stand on the platform with the clothes on, and I'll handle the rest.

—Really? Can you make sure my shirt doesn't have this bloodstain or these tears?

—No problem—After receiving confirmation, Shoun put on his clothes and stood on the platform. A few seconds later, a light filled the room and quickly disappeared.

—...Are we done?

—Affirmative.

—Perfect! Where's my new uniform?

—You're wearing it, Administrator.

—...—At that moment, Shoun, who was already off the platform, fell to his knees—I thought you'd make a copy... that outfit was collector's edition…

—I apologize for the confusion, Administrator.

—You know what? It's fine—Shoun said, somewhat dejected, as he sat at the table. While he could feel that his clothes were definitely softer and more flexible—surely they wouldn't hinder him in combat—Kaze, on the other hand, watched all this and stood silently on the platform.

—Liam, can you upgrade my current outfit to a higher grade with what's left of the Wretch?

—I can do that. Would you like me to proceed? This will consume the remaining body of the Alpha Wretch.

—Yes, please—Kaze said politely. A moment later, he was surrounded by the same light, which quickly disappeared. After feeling his new outfit for a bit, Kaze nodded and sat next to Shoun—Now what?

—I guess we're done here for today. By the way, are you going to stay here or come back to my house?

—I have no way of knowing when you'll come here, so I think I'll go with you.

—Yeah, I guess phones won't work between dimensions—Shoun commented offhandedly. They then tried asking Liam specific questions about the mirror world, such as "What is this world called?" "How much time passes between here and the other world?" "How do the different zones of the mirror world work?" But all these questions were met with "You do not have sufficient clearance to know that," so they stopped trying after a while.

They didn't stay much longer. After saying goodbye to Liam, they left the base and returned to the other world, where it was still night. Upon returning home, they confirmed that several hours had passed, and there were only a couple of hours left before Shoun had to go to school. So, he went straight to bed, not without wishing each other goodnight first.

Shoun set his uniform aside. He didn't want Robin asking when and how he got a custom-made one, after all. He'd only use it when going to the mirror world. After changing, he lay down in bed and opened his status window.

[Name: Shoun Foster»

«Age: 17»

«Rank: Seeker»

«Title:...»

«Ascension Points: 33/100»

«Abilities»

«Electric Flow: Your very essence has been touched by electricity since birth, to the point where you can control and use it to your advantage.»

«Basic Electric Core: A part of your being, it exists and doesn't exist, both in your physical and spiritual body. It's where all your electricity is stored and generated, and it also allows the user to absorb electricity from other sources.»

«Visa: Congratulations! You can now enter and exit the other world.]

After thinking about it for a moment, he opened his personal Codex to look at the description of his most recent kill.