Chapter 3: The World of Elites

Ezra's expression quickly normalized as he tilted his head in confusion. "Do I know you?"

'Hell! There's no way I would admit I recognize her. I'd deny it even if presented with evidence. I haven't checked the gear yet, but it's bound to increase my chances of survival, so I'm never returning it. Thank goodness we're in the city where she can't do anything.'

"Stop playing dumb. If you don't know me, why did your expression change? And the 'you?!' gave you away. You were clearly surprised I found you," she replied aggressively.

"I was just asking you to identify yourself," Ezra lied with a straight face.

"Fine. I knew you would deny it. Well, I'm not asking you to give me the gear if you got one. I just need a place to stay, as this is not my city," she replied calmly.

"I can't feed a grown woman. I haven't fed myself well," Ezra shot back instantly.

"Don't worry! I will pay for myself. If I stay, my food will be on me."

Ezra tilted his head before questioning, "How many days?"

He still felt guilty for snatching her kill and getting gear out of it.

"Three days at most," she replied.

"Sure. Let's go. I'm famished," said Ezra as he walked out the door.

When they got near the entrance of the hospital, she said, "Wait a moment, let me call my friend."

"A friend?" Ezra arched an eyebrow.

"One more person wouldn't hurt."

She walked off to call her friend without waiting for Ezra to reply.

She returned with a tall girl with long, green hair.

"Hi, I'm Selene. I think Seraphina must have told you," the new girl introduced herself with a smile.

Ezra nodded while keeping a straight face and walked away. He remembered there were four girls, and if he acted too friendly, they might turn his house into a girls' sleepover.

The three of them walked down the road in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Seraphina was the smallest.

Cars drove past them on their way to various destinations.

It looked like it was still morning.

"Selene, can you tell me everything needed for a person who has just awakened?" Ezra suddenly spoke up first asked.

He felt comfortable talking to Selene because of the soothing atmosphere surrounding her; Seraphina had an aggressive aura.

Selene stared at him for a moment before saying, "What do you know about an awakened Elite so that I can omit those details?"

Ezra instantly replied, as that was what he had been trying to recall, "I only know about the first four ranks—Mortal, Primal, Commander, and Archon. I also know that each rank is divided into three sub-ranks—First Order, Second Order, and Third Order."

Seraphina quickly said, "That's almost like not knowing anything. Didn't you attend the basic academy when you were 10?"

Ezra shrugged. "I attended, but I've forgotten all the explanations."

Seraphina and Selene gave him a strange look.

'You can't blame me for discarding useless information since I didn't awaken my Elite system,' he thought to himself.

"I guess the Elite System was made for you, then, since it's so lazy—even Gears and Skills fall under that ranking system," Seraphina replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, it's not too lazy for me. When we talk about laziness, we mean that the Elite System gives everyone's abilities just one name without any description. You have to figure out how they work on your own. That's real laziness."

Selene continued, ignoring the duo conversing about laziness. "Well, according to history, after the Cataclysm, many planets were destroyed and lost in the void. But the thing is, they weren't crushed; they were splintered into fragments. Those fragmented lands formed Planes of various ranks, wandering in the void. The Planes are where we, the Elites, go to hunt monsters for their crystals.

The Rank 1 Planes, which is the lowest rank, grants us, Mortal rank Elite, a higher chance of survival because the highest rank monster there is a Third Order Mortal. When you enter any Plane for the first time, your spawning site is random. So, you must carefully make your way to the Haven, a place built by the authorities that can be used to teleport back, and which also has walls that protect you from monsters."

Ezra quieted as he processed all that.

"As for Beaco…"

Selene was about to continue but was interrupted by Seraphina, "That's enough. You want to start telling boring histories and tales that are not needed for survival."

"Why don't people hunt in this world? Why hunt in Planes?" Ezra suddenly asked after much pondering.

Selene explained softly, "Because the monsters in our world are not regulated; unlike in Rank 1 Planes where you know that there are only Mortal rank monsters, you might encounter creatures above the Archon rank when hunting. Also, Mortal rank monsters are rare outside the Planes."

Ezra nodded in understanding.

"Just to increase the chances of survival…" Seraphina said out of the blue.

Ezra lowered his head to stare at her face. Both of them locked eyes.

"...Selene and I just awakened yesterday, but we went to the ruin site just to get gears and push our Order from First to Second. Ezra, we haven't been to any Rank 1 Planes yet, so the three of us can form a team. Selene and I are already Second Order Mortal, so our chances of survival will increase."

Ezra was stunned. He had seen Seraphina battling against two huge wolves, so he never considered the two of them as the same class in terms of strength even after awakening.

'Why is she inviting me? First, my house. Now, this? What does she want? I need to do my research about new Elites. I don't want to fall victim because the other guys used me as a scout. I also need to study my abilities.'

"Give me some time," he replied softly.

"Sure. But be quick because we will enter a Rank 1 Plane in two days," Seraphina answered.