"What’s a seeker?" Slya asked. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Xan nodded to himself, his eyes alight. "I said it! You guys are new to all this! You’ve never been to the second layer before, right? Did you even see the first layer? I once spent a week in the first layer before I was taken to the second layer for my impressive abilities, but now I’m returning to..."

Atrox flashed a smile that resembled a snare. He understood now why people thought Xan was annoying—it was because he actually was. He cut him off. "Let me guess, the impressive abilities aren’t about your talking strength, right?"

Xan trailed off with a sheepish look on his face, his eyes twitching. "Ahem, no," he cleared his throat. "Right. Seekers are important in a team. In fact, I’ll say they are the most important members of any group, but that’s only because of how impressive they are. Take me for example..."

Just then, a black sword jutted forward and rested against Xan’s throat. The boy stopped talking and froze, staring down at it in bewilderment.

"Say more than needs to be, and you can say bye to your head," Slya said. Then she thought to herself. ’And I thought I was annoying sometimes!’

Xan nodded as best as he could without cutting himself. He swallowed. "Right. Seekers are the most impo... they are the ones that search for ruins so a team can clear them. Basically, they look for new ruins for the team."

’There’s something like that?’ Atrox thought. ’Come to think of it, it makes a lot of sense that there should be people going around to look for new ruins’

"And your abilities have something to do with the fact that you can sneak up on us?" Atrox asked. He was still a little wary about that.

Xan nodded. "I’m a Knight rank of the Mystic Order, and my essence allows me to do that. It’s impressive, right? I can seek something out and also cloak myself from people and monsters! It’d be as if I’m not a living thing. How impressive is that? Although I don’t have as much physical strength as other Knights, I can..."

Atrox was suddenly in front of him, his eyes like two pools of green fire. "How old are you?" he asked in a voice that sent chills down Xan’s spine.

’This might not be an ambush, but it’s no coincidence either! If what he’s saying is the truth, then Xan can easily target a person and seek them out. Things aren’t as simple as they seem!’

"What? I’m twenty!" Xan answered, his face covered in shock. It seemed as if Atrox would throw fire directly from his eyes and burn him!

’Twenty? Even his face and looks are deceiving. Just what type of situation is this?’

Atrox calmed down but asked in a voice laced with anger, "Tell me, why did you seek us out? Obviously, you were looking for us. Tell me the truth now before I decide that I like you more as ashes."

Xan shuddered. He cast his eyes aside, then sighed in a defeated way. "I... I will start at the beginning."

Atrox raised his brows. "We have time."

"After I was kicked out of the Teams, I had nowhere to go, and not even the Ten would allow me into the core..."

Atrox and the others resisted the urge to stop him and demand he explain the unfamiliar terms he was using. ’What’s the Ten? What’s the core?’

"...so I was left adrift in the layers with no protection. I don’t have strong physical powers, and my Knightly powers are not suitable for combat, so I could only find protection with a group of outlaws."

This time, Atrox interrupted him as he asked in surprise, "What? There are outlaws in the Second Layer?"

"Yes. Of course, all the outlaws have bounties on their heads from the Ten, but they haven’t been actively taken out. They’re like cockroaches—they avoid the teams, and for the most part, the teams also avoid them. As long as they don’t do anything overboard, they are left alone to fight over the scraps."

Atrox found the situation strange. ’There’s a bounty on their heads, and yet they’re being ignored by the Knight teams?’

"So I worked for one of the outlaw groups called the Blackened Blade. Their leader, Zara, took me in when he learned of my situation. But things didn’t develop in the way I wanted... I somehow led them to a dangerous ruin, and now they want me dead.

"I ran, and on my way out here, I used my ability to seek the best way out of the mess. I was led to you." Xan finished and swallowed his dry throat.

Atrox waited and patiently took everything in. But something, somewhere, wasn’t adding up. ’Ruins can’t be good or bad; it’s totally dependent on the level of power of those who attempt to clear them. Meaning Xan didn’t say what he actually did to the outlaws!’

Tiber shook his head and stared at Xan with deep eyes that drew him in. "Tell us what actually happened to the outlaws. What actually happened?"

Xan shrank, recoiling. "No. Don’t worry, I’ll be on my way now... Wait. Unless you want to take me in!"

Atrox smiled faintly. ’Isn’t that the whole reason you came here? Seeking to use us? Your ability found the best method to deal with the outlaws, which is simply to use us. I must say, it’s not a bad essence ability at all’

He relaxed and said in a casual voice, "You want us to take you in, under our protection. But what will you offer us? That’s what I’m most interested in."

Immediately, Xan grinned. "You’re new here, right? I’ll show you the ropes around here—everything you need to know. I’ll give you information and even guide you on how to choose the best team. I’ll also use my ability to seek the best ruins for you... No, you can use my ability as you wish."

"And in return?" Atrox asked. As with everything in the world, it’s an exchange—one thing for another.