NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45: Impossible?
"Kael Draven!"
As the Inspector shouted, his hands, which had been sweeping across the holographic screens surrounding him, froze. The information of the person he had just called out popped up in front of him, and after reading the name, he immediately recalled the reckless newbie who had entered the Fissure without wearing a suit.
"The newbie?"
This guy had just registered his Status Band, and not even a few hours later, he was already diving into a Fissure. It was suicide—a legal one that the Inspector had advised against. But the man had insisted. The Inspector had seen this type before, so he let him be.
"He's still alive?" The Inspector muttered in surprise, staring at the green indicator beneath the name Kael Draven—'Alive.'
"Why? You want me dead?"
A voice spoke in front of him. When the Inspector looked up, the newbie himself was standing there.
For a moment, the Inspector was stunned. After double-checking that the image on the screen matched the man before him, he let out a chuckle.
"Just surprised. It's not every day that someone crazy like you walks out of that portal alive."
"So, what's the number of people like me who can walk out alive from a Fissure?" Kael asked, seemingly curious.
"I…" The Inspector was momentarily speechless. "Do I have to know that?"
"Maybe, maybe not." Kael shrugged.
"Anyway." The Inspector didn't want to argue, so with a wave of his hand, he returned to the main topic. "I have here your Contribution points for the Final Boss. It's zero, but since the Fissure has been successfully closed, I'll add this to your Status Band. Next…"
He asked a few more questions, which Kael answered truthfully. The report was just a routine Q&A—a formality for the records. But when the Inspector asked what Kael had brought back from the Fissure, he was stunned for the second time.
"You brought back a Growth Orb?" The Inspector asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Kael nodded.
"You didn't steal it?"
"No."
"Did someone give it to you?"
"No."
"You… you got it yourself? After killing a Behemech?"
"Yes," Kael said flatly.
"This…" The Inspector narrowed his eyes at the newbie. Seeing the serious look on Kael's face, he could only sigh.
"Alright, then show me. If you're telling the truth, then you're really something—besides being crazy, of course."
The Inspector was skeptical, but what if it was true? This newbie must have stumbled upon a Behemech that was either on the verge of death or already dead, and with sheer luck, it happened to have a Growth Orb inside.
For a newbie to enter a Grey Fissure without a suit and then claim to have a Growth Orb—it was either complete bullsh*t or just blind luck. The Inspector was leaning toward the former.
Kael waved his hand. Trey and the Miner stepped out from behind him, placing a bag and a watermelon-sized 2nd-Grade Growth Orb onto the table.
The Inspector's gaze landed on the items. His face remained impassive, not showing any emotion as he stared at the Growth Orbs without blinking.
"You're kidding… this is all yours?" The Inspector asked, gulping between his words.
"They're all mine," Kael nodded.
"Impossible." The Inspector shook his head, refusing to believe it. "You have four 2nd-Grade Growth Orbs and at least ten 1st-Grade Growth Orbs. Only a group could collect this much. You think this is a joke?"
His expression darkened.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Kael raised an eyebrow.
"He's telling the truth! He got all of that by himself!" Trey cut in, seeing that the Inspector still wasn't convinced.
Having a good record on a Status Band was something every Primer sought after. A strong record meant they could join any Primer Company they wanted. More resources. More opportunities. And the more resources they had, the stronger they could become.
Kael claiming that the Growth Orbs on the table belonged to him was bound to attract a lot of attention. How could a normal person without a suit have this many Growth Orbs? And not just any—2nd-Grade ones at that. Furthermore, this was his first time entering a Fissure.
Unless… he had someone else helping him.
The Inspector glanced at Trey, the Grey Hunter standing behind Kael, before his eyes fell on the miner.
"And who is this?"
There was no way that this Trey, who had been Grey Hunting for at least a year now, could have achieved this feat. Even two or three Growth Orbs was already considered a good haul for someone like him.
"He's the miner who got caught up in the Fissure," Trey explained.
"He is, unfortunately… right," Bach sighed.
"I see…" The Inspector's attention returned to Kael. "I have some good news and bad news for you."
"Tell me," Kael said, a frown forming on his face.
Meanwhile, Trey, who had been listening the whole time, already knew what was coming.
"This sh*tty system of theirs…" he muttered.
"You can't take all of this," the Inspector said, pointing at the Growth Orbs on the table while glaring at Trey.
"Care to elaborate?" Kael asked, his demeanor turning cold.
"I don't believe you, that's why," the Inspector said firmly. "Like I said, this is impossible. You're just a normal guy—your stats are below average, and yet you have this many Growth Orbs. You claim you killed the Behemechs on your own, but with your stats, and the fact that you weren't even wearing a suit, I can only rule that as a lie."
"What's happening?" Bach asked Trey, unable to understand why the Inspector wasn't letting Kael keep the Growth Orbs.
"This *sshole doesn't believe that Kael killed the Behemechs on his own," Trey said.
"Why does he care whether Kael killed them or not? Those Growth Orbs belong to him," Bach said, a frown forming on his face at the absurdity of the situation.
"Technically speaking, he should care about all this," Trey sighed, rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. "He's the Inspector assigned to this Fissure. Inspectors are responsible for the official Fissure Reports, and they can also add achievements to a Primer's Status Band. If they believe a Primer is telling the truth and has the ability to accomplish such feats, they'll record the achievement on their Status Band."
"I see… so they care about their reputation as Inspectors," Bach nodded in understanding.
"You catch on fast, old man," Trey said. "They can't just hand out good records to anyone. If they did, the records would become meaningless, and they'd lose their credibility. Success rate, history, the number of Growth Orbs obtained, Contribution Points… all of these matter to Primers. With good records, their futures are set—companies will swarm to recruit them."
"But some of these people…" Bach glanced around. "They're not clean."
"I know, but they have suits," Trey sighed, staring at the suited Primers with envy. "The Inspector doesn't have to investigate whether they are capable of obtaining numerous Growth Orbs—their suit is the proof. It's a free pass, whether they got them the right way or not."
...
"I see… this is interesting," Kael smirked, staring at the Inspector coldly. He had also heard the conversation between Trey and Bach.
So he cares about his reputation as an Inspector, but he's biased toward Primers with suits. How interesting… Kael thought.
Although the situation was frustrating and something Kael hadn't experienced since becoming the White Primeval, it was understandable.
The weak had rules and laws to follow, and now that he was one of them, Kael was faced with these annoying restrictions.
Announcing that he was the real Kael Draven wouldn't work if he wanted to keep these Growth Orbs. They were essential for increasing his strength, and he wasn't about to lose them—especially after enduring the pain brought by using the Drakorite Techniques.
Kael stared at the Inspector, his eyes glinting dangerously. A plan began to form in his mind, a way to make the Inspector suffer. He didn't care about records or the Primer's reputation. He just wanted his Growth Orbs. And if this Inspector wasn't going to let him have them, then the man would have to face his revenge.
"Yeah, this is really interesting," the Inspector laughed, leaning back in his chair comfortably. "You being alive is already surprising enough. You and that guy Trey really fit well together—you both have extreme luck to have survived. But claiming these Growth Orbs belong to you? Just dream on. At best, you can take two 1st-Grade Growth Orbs. But since this is your first time entering a Fissure, I'll grant you one. How about that? Do we have a deal?"
"You're really an *sshole," Trey said angrily.
There was nothing he could do if the Inspector was adamant about not letting Kael have the Growth Orbs. No matter how angry he was, the Inspector was the highest-ranking person here. Even the New One group wouldn't dare antagonize him.
"I get that a lot, kid," the Inspector said, glancing at Trey. "As an experienced no-suited Primer, you should know that having a suit is like wearing legitimacy, right?"
"I didn't know that's the new way to use that word," Trey muttered, glaring at the Inspector. But he didn't deny what the man had said.
Trey could only hunt in Grey Fissures because he didn't have an Exoskeleton suit. And because of that, he was always discriminated against.
"So, do we have a deal?" the Inspector asked Kael once more. "Unless someone with a strong enough record can vouch for you, you can only take one 1st-Grade Growth Orb."
"Then I will vouch for him."
A woman's voice echoed, and they all turned in the same direction.