章節 7: Perfect pure dark elemental ?
After taking a refreshing bath, Frederick entered his room. There wasn't much to say about the room; it appeared dusty and contained only a lone bed and a wooden wardrobe. Frederick found himself dressed in a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans borrowed from Xopea. The t-shirt was a basic gray with a faded graphic design, and the jeans were comfortably worn in.
Checking his status, Frederick let out a sigh of resignation.
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<Welcome back, candidate>
Name: Frederick Field
Race: Human
Age: 26 years old
Level: 1
<Authority>: Forgotten Times (Unique)
<Curse>: One Against the World (Unique)
-One Against the World (Unique):
Effect: The world will try to kill you by every means possible and the experience points you earn will be divided by ten times.
Remark: How did you even survive until now?
<Statistics>
-Constitution: 10
-Mind: 10
-Perception: 10
-Dexterity: 10
Experience points: 427/1000
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Frederick was perplexed about the exact calculation of experience points, but he chose to dismiss the matter since understanding it wouldn't alter his immediate situation. He knew he needed to grow stronger, even though the curse made him earn fewer experience points. He was different from others; he was willing to risk his life for greater rewards.
After one last glance at his status, Frederick headed to the kitchen where he found Riley and Xopea sitting at the table. They both looked at him without saying much. Xopea gestured for Frederick to take a seat, and they all began eating. On the table were three plates, each filled with chopped vegetables that looked slightly unusual, along with a serving of mashed potatoes topped with red sauce.
The vegetables had an orange hue and an appearance resembling a cross between a pineapple and a cucumber. Their scent carried a hint of eggplant, while the mashed paste exuded a carrot-like aroma. Frederick dug into his meal. The mashed potato-like paste had an earthy taste, and the vegetables had a natural sweetness to them. Overall, the food wasn't too bad.
While they were eating, Xopea suddenly spoke up, "I talked to my friend at the slaughterhouse, and it looks like he's willing to take you in. However, you'll need some basic identity papers first. Tomorrow, Riley will assist you in getting them."
"What? Why should I be stuck helping this guy? Can't he manage on his own since he's a grown man?" protested Riley.
"You need to confirm that he lives here. And that wasn't a question, Riley. So, you'll go with him tomorrow. Hopefully, you can be a bit more ladylike. How will you find a good noble to marry with this kind of attitude?" Xopea replied firmly, adding, "Also, be sure to answer his questions about elementalists. He seemed quite interested."
Riley shot Frederick a murderous glare, her anger was evident in her eyes. Frederick, however, maintained a calm smile and said, "Thank you. I won't overstay my welcome. I'll be here for a bit less than 4 months, and I wouldn't want to bother you."
Before Xopea could respond, Frederick confidently continued, "Also, I'd like to have access to information about the world. Can you show me how?"
"Um... You can use my computer," Xopea replied, slightly exasperated. 'You barely finished your first sentence, and you're already asking for more… Whatever,' he thought. In all honesty, Xopea didn't have to go this far in helping Frederick, but his kind nature led him to do so. Since he was already assisting Frederick, he figured he might as well try his best. Once the meal was done, Frederick took care of the dishes before heading to his room.
'I will start by getting stronger before trying to complete the quest. If even the Chronicles say that it is the highest difficulty, then it really must be something,' thought Frederick as he played with the authority orb in his hands. He soon fell asleep after hiding his orbs right under his pillow.
After a restful sleep, Frederick woke up very early and began exercising in his room. He wasn't particularly into sports, but he knew he needed to change that. He had wanted to start this regimen earlier but hadn't had the time. After three hours of exercise, Frederick was beyond exhausted. His muscles ached, but he ignored the pain and started getting ready to obtain his identification papers.
After exchanging brief greetings with Xopea, who was clearly not a morning person, Riley reluctantly accompanied Frederick to get his papers done. Taking public transportation, they soon arrived at a castle-like structure. Its walls were white, with a red roof, and adorned with mystical inscriptions. Statues of peculiar-looking horses flanked the entrance, adding to the majestic and powerful atmosphere.
Upon entering, Frederick saw a bustling grand hall with people lined up in multiple queues. They joined one of the lines and waited for about 30 minutes to reach the front.
"Hello, how may I assist you?" inquired the female receptionist.
"We're here to help this guy with his basic identification," Riley responded, her tone laced with annoyance.
Following a series of straightforward questions, the receptionist took out a white crystal ball about the size of a tennis ball. She then instructed, "Place your hands on the detection crystal to determine if you have the potential to become an elementalist and to ascertain your affinity." This unexpected turn surprised Frederick, but after a brief moment of reflection, he understood the reasoning behind it.
If his assumptions were correct, this was a method for the country to identify potential candidates and recruit them before other factions could. Frederick was also intrigued. Could he use the unique powers of this world? If he could use the power system in the worlds he goes to, it would indeed help him a lot. After a short instant of taking the pros and cons, Frederick opted to take the test.
Placing his left hand on the crystal ball, Frederick waited. After a few seconds, the ball underwent a remarkable transformation, shifting in color. More precisely, it gradually drained of all color until it turned an intense black, appearing like a sphere of pure void.
The receptionist, engrossed in reading documents on her computer, looked up and her eyes widened with astonishment when she saw the void-like ball that Frederick held. She snatched the ball from his hand, examined it repeatedly, and then exclaimed, "It's... a perfect pure dark elemental body!"
The bustling noises of the entire hall vanished as all heads turned in unison toward the pure black crystal ball. Every pair of eyes widened in shock and disbelief at the sight.
For a good thirty seconds, an awkward silence hung in the air like a heavy fog. Then, the receptionist's voice shattered the stillness once more as she urgently exclaimed, "Please, sir—I mean, my lord—don't move! I must urgently inform my superiors!" With that, she dashed out of the hall as if the hounds of hell were at her heels.
"I suppose this is quite rare?" Frederick asked solemnly.
Standing beside Frederick, Riley was struck dumb. Her eyes and mouth were wide open; you could probably fit two detection crystals inside her mouth.
"You don't know what it means, right?" Riley finally managed to say, her face still reflecting her astonishment.
"What does it mean? I must remind you that I know nothing about elementalists," Frederick inquired.
Riley's response was nothing short of explosive. "You... You... Were you living under a rock or something? Do you not have a single clue? You've got a freaking perfect pure dark elemental body! A damn perfect pure dark elemental body!"
"That still doesn't explain what it is," Frederick replied calmly.
Riley's frustration was palpable as she muttered under her breath, "How on earth does this guy end up with a pure dark elemental body? It's so unfair! Fine, let me break it down to the simplest terms possible. Normally, people have a mix of different elemental affinities in their bodies, except for light and darkness. This balance prevents them from using any elemental abilities because your main element is always suppressed by the other. Elementalists are the same, which is why their potential is limited by these opposing affinities.
But sometimes, freaks of nature are born—mutants with a perfect balance of two elements, enabling them to use both. And then there are the real anomalies, like you, born with a total affinity for just one element. It's like your body rejects anything else, making you basically a god in terms of elemental powers!"
Understanding the general idea, Frederick posed a question, "So, what about light and darkness?"
"Light and darkness are even more extreme mutations, just as rare as having a pure elemental body! With darkness affinity, it's hard to even detect since darkness absorbs everything, and that's especially true for you. The crystal couldn't detect anything because your affinity is pure darkness and nothing else!"
Frederick immediately understood that there was probably a big misunderstanding. The crystal couldn't detect anything at all not because he had a perfect dark elemental body, but because he wasn't from this world and had no elemental affinity at all. However, Frederick decided not to say anything about it.
'Perhaps I can transform this misunderstanding into an opportunity...'
However, Riley's frustration only grew when she saw Frederick's nonchalant expression. "Aren't you excited? It's like winning the lottery not once, but ten times in a row! Nobles would kill for a chance to be in your shoes!"
Frederick offered a simple smile, deciding that his newfound status could be manipulated to his advantage. He was done wasting time with Riley and Xopea, seeing them as expendable pawns in his larger scheme.
After a few minutes, a plump man rushed into the hall, clearly out of breath, followed by the receptionist. The man then hurried toward Frederick with an air of humility, panting slightly as he checked the still-dark crystal. "Greetings, my lord. I am Zelaro Zurick, the director of this establishment. May I have a moment of your time?" said the man with an exhausted breath, likely due to the rush.
The man had long brown hair, a burly face, and the most noticeable trait was the fact that this guy had so much fat that Frederick wondered how the heck he even moved and didn't just roll around. Around those layers of fat, he wore fine clothes made of some kind of golden thread of the finest quality.
Without uttering a word, Frederick followed Zelaro into an opulent room. Riley seemed uncertain about her role and trailed along behind Frederick after some consideration. Frederick ignored her presence as his focus was on what lay ahead.
Taking a seat on one of the room's plush sofas, Frederick was soon joined by Riley and Zelaro. The receptionist, after setting out a few cups of tea and some delicate pastries, discreetly left the room, leaving the trio in private.
"Please, help yourself, my lord," Zelaro gestured toward the refreshments. Observing Frederick's lack of interest, he cleared his throat before continuing, "Allow me to be straightforward. Discovering your perfect dark elemental body left me astounded. As you may be aware, dark elemental users are as rare as they are formidable. Adding to that your perfect elemental body, you may possess unparalleled potential, possibly one of the highest in centuries!"
Despite Zelaro's flattering words, Frederick's expression remained unchanging, which made Zelaro a bit uneasy. Undeterred, he pressed on, "I took the liberty of informing the imperial family about your arrival. They've expressed a desire to meet you."
Intrigued, Frederick asked, "Who exactly?"
"I regret to inform you that I am not at liberty to divulge their identity yet, my lord. But I assure you, this meeting will be worth your while," said Zelaro mysteriously with a little grin.
"When will it be?" asked Frederick, as he tried calculating how he should deal with this and how he could gain as many benefits as possible.
"They are currently on their way here; it shouldn't take much more time," Zelaro replied Frederick nodded in acknowledgment and patiently waited for approximately two hours. During this time, there were occasional attempts at small talk, yet the atmosphere remained predominantly awkward rather than engaging. Riley had never been so quiet, her expression stern, and her silence palpable. While Frederick pondered whether they would actually arrive, the door swung open abruptly, revealing a group of four women and a male who entered the room. Before Frederick could even get a good look at their faces, the male among them spoke with an arrogant tone. "So, you're the one responsible for all this commotion."
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