บท 27: Father To Son (2)

The silence in the room was thick, both the old man and Jason hadn't spoken. The elder was still weighing the words of his son and Jason was just too busy in his own world to care about having a conversation.

[Name: Arlo Hachiman

Age: 127

Physical – Mid Stage 6

Mental – Mid Stage 5

Mana – Late Stage 6

Skills: Fire Magic, Water Magic]

Jason turned away after going through the old man's stats, if his memory served him correctly, and it usually did, this old man's stats weren't far away from the clan head stat's 3 years ago when he scanned the 90 year old man.

He stroked his chin meaningfully as he began thinking.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.

'I scanned the clan head 3 years ago and my old man is older than him, that probably means he hasn't reached his full potential. There is still 2-3 years before the plot starts afterall.'

Jason had a moment of eureka.

'Unfortunately, I can't deduce this accurately enough without a higher mental.' He shook his head.

Among physical and mental the easier one to increase was obviously physical, you just had to continue punching until you got a boost.

Due to the presence of Nature Energy in Jason's body his physical stat could upgrade passively even if he didn't train, but the effect would be smaller than if he trained. However his mental wasn't affected much by Nature Energy.

In Jason's point of view, physical was one of the most crucial and most important stat to train but that didn't mean mental was worthless... In his point of view it was mana that was worthless.

"Your appearance in the trial isn't my own decision, and it isn't your own decision either..." The elder paused before continuing, yet not sparing a glance at the person he was speaking to. "Every child must go through the clan trial. But you are special, you are the embodiment of not only your mother's suffering, but the whole world – my... our black mark."

"You act like I'm weak just because I can't use mana but in reality-" Jason said suddenly.

The old man replied with a hint of interest, cutting Jason off. "Aren't you? Your skills – or lack thereof – place a stain on the legacy of the Hachiman clan. The original plan was to keep your existence a secret, but because you were bold enough to use the Null eyes on the clan head the five major clans know about you.

You haven't even awakened, that is if you are capable of doing so. Your bloodline is diluted by your skin color and it will be that way until your untimely death." The elder was direct with his words.

"With no respect, you are very wrong."

Jason was going to let the man and even the clan think he was weak, even if he tried to tell them would they believe the words of... of him?

"And what can a crippled boy like you do? Incapable of awakening, and even if you could it would be only a rank 5 awakening. Surviving a dungeon is impossible and trying to use the Null eyes multiple times with your non-existent mana reserves will send you to your death sooner than the monsters will...

...You are my son so I will only wish the best for you.

Die in the Dungeon.

If you die there, you will not have to worry about prejudice and every other worldly matter. You could even meet God and ask him endless questions about your existence, just don't survive... Okay?"

The words were harsh, like a fire burning a corpse.

"No promises. Like seriously, I will not promise dying to a no rank for even rank 5 boss monster." Jason replied.

"You don't take this seriously." Arlo said silently before adding. "Very well, I have gotten what I needed from you."

Almost as if on cue Jason got up from the chair.

"Is this where I depart?" He asked.

"Indeed." He answered before outstretching his hand, his hand glowing in a radiant light as he summoned his mana into the hand.

"I hope you listen to my words well and do what's best for you." The old man's voice/Arlo's voice said before Jason disappeared from the room.

Jason closed his eye, not knowing what it might bring. When he opened his eyes again he was where he last remembered, in front of the guard that seemed to be using a stealth skill or stealth magic.

'What a great Father to son moment we had.' He thought dryly before making his way back to his house in the large main clan building.

…

Arlo dropped his hand before putting his right hand on his head, for the umpteenth time recalling the hairless experience.

The things he did as a clan elder...

:Mana gave him the Null eyes as a form of compensation for hating him, what an obvious lie. It's so obvious I can basically smell it..." A soft, alluring voice rang out in the air.

Arlo instinctively turned, falling to one knee as he recognized the voice. He was compelled to show respect to one of the strongest beings in the Hachiman clan: the clan guardian. She stood before him, draped in a striking red kimono adorned with elegant flower designs. Her beauty was enchanting, yet her presence exuded an undeniable power.

"You! Aren't you his father?" she stated, not asked, her voice carrying an air of authority.

"Yes, ma'am!" Arlo responded quickly, not daring to meet her gaze.

The clan guardian's lips curled into a playful smirk. "Aren't you a bit too eager?" she teased, her eyes glinting mischievously. "The last time I met your so-called clan head, he dared to call me an animal! Can you imagine? Just because I spared him some of my time.

And his wife isn't much different; though she acts loyal, I can feel the malice radiating from her. Perhaps I should have killed them; what do you think?"

Arlo's throat went dry. Loyalty to the clan clashed with his urge to appease a being of immense power.

The clan guardian often appeared only when needing to confer with the clan head or impose new punishments upon the elders; like not allowing any elder to have hair. Her presence wasn't just rare—it was momentous and dreadful for all elders.

"Oh... A doll like you bound to his master is as plain to me as a flat human girl is to you men." she remarked coolly before vanishing into thin air.

Relief washed over Arlo as he straightened, the tension bleeding from his shoulders. He dared not speak of this encounter to anyone; doing so could invite dire consequences.

The clan guardian rarely involved herself in their affairs, and when she did, it changed the game—and he wasn't inclined to find out what such a shift might bring.

He inhaled deeply, letting the moment pass, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down like lead. All he hoped was that Jason died in the dungeon, then he could atone for his sin of staining the clan's name by bring a dark-skinned child into the clan.

A/N: 190 Collections or maybe 200?