Code Collector

Slash. Slash. Slash.

Two days passed after Drake Nelson's death, and there still was no clue on what happened. The reports said that an illegal group of thugs took him out while he was on Earth.

There were footage of a group of seven men going inside the same building where Drake was. A few moments later, the seventy-ninth floor which was owned by the Dragon Bearer, exploded. The entire floor succumbed to the fire, cutting down the top of the building.

Many have said that Drake wouldn't die easily from such explosion. The man can withstand heat since he had Codes that made him practically immuned to fire. But another footage which was taken from a drone showed that Drake was fighting the seven men.

He was jumping around the burning floor while the seven hooded figures continued to chase him. He even brought out his Dragonglass Blade to fend off the enemies, but an eighth man appeared and stabbed him in the chest before he could even swing his sword.

The footage was, to say at least, horrifying for many. For the Hunters, Drake Nelson was the highest order and the brightest light for them. He was leading the world and the Otherworlds at the same time, and he was doing well.

By the rules that was released by the Hunters organization, the next chairman would be chosen from the winner of three rounds of elections. One was the power, two was merit, and three was people. All the Bearers and the three leading Hunters in Eterniy are eligible to become a candidate. They will be screened and tested before the official election would begin.

For the first round, power, the candidate are tested and their power level is measured. Power was a very important thing for Hunters because only the ones who are strong enough could handle the others. If they would lack the power to fight beasts, they also lack the power to lead, that was the Hunters' philosophy. The first round will eliminate the lower half of the candidates.

For the second round, merit, the achievements of the Hunter will be counted and converted into points. They then would be ranked based on the number of points they gain. The second round will also take out the lower half of the canditates.

For the third and final round, the Hunters will have a choice on who will lead them. After the first and second round, the third round had filtered out the best candidates to lead them, and they will then make a choice on who to vote.

Allen knew all of these, but as he said to Jeremy, he could only care less. He was someone who doesn't stand a chance against the ones in the higher positions, even when he wanted to fight for what's right, he will still lose.

But using the power of the Snake that he weilded, he was going to catch up to the giants and become a giant himself. When that happens, he swore to become the chairman and lead the world into a much better place.

After watching the announcement, Allen walked out of the camp. He was going to grind with collecting Codes so he could get closer and closer to his dreams and aspirations.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

'Wind Leaf killed. +50 EXP'

'Solar Bunny killed. +50 EXP'

'Rigorous Sparrow killed. +50 EXP'

…

The boy continued with collecting the Codes. He was wondering why there were many Rare grade beasts when tbey would oftentimes not show up. Maybe it was because the forest regenerated quickly that this happened.

For the three days after the Second Coming of the Fire Dragon, all the forests were locked from hunting. It was to make sure that there were no deadly beasts in the forest. No one can be too sure about what happened since Chen would not talk.

The man entered Allen's mind again. He had an irky feeling that Chen wasn't the mastermind of their group. Chen wasn't as strong as he think he is, but he has items that Allen didn't see in the world that they are in.

Maybe Chen was just a puppet of someone who was stronger and had more powerful connections.

As Allen laid his back on a tree, he inspected his interface. When he scrolled to his Code storage list, he saw that there was an exclamation point on the Grand grade tab header.

He clicked on it, and a warning was heard. 'Hunter not eligible to use Code.'

The boy remembered that he got a Code after slaying the Fire Dragon. He was too wrapped up with the things that happened that he forgot that he had the Code. At that time too, when he was received the Code, he was almost out of consciousness. He was barely awake that the memory was lost in his head.

<Flame Crown Egg>

Type: Pet (Evolvable)

Grade: Sacred - ???

The Code description was nowhere to be found. Allen assumed that it was because he still can't access the Code that the description was hidden, something like the other Code effects of the Snake's Blessings.

There was a restriction on the levels, that he can't see or know what those were. The features he was getting such as the Crafting Table and passive skills weren't part of the effects, they were merely the bonus skills.

That's what confused Allen with what Sebastian said to him. When the latter told him that the other Bearers were not much stronger than a regular Hunter, did he meant that they didn't have the skills like he does? Or they don't know how to make use of their advantages?

The confusion was enough for Allen to question Sebastian. Maybe the man lied to him so he could relax. But what was his intention by doing so? What will Sebastian gain by lying to him?

Allen groaned after his head almost cracked by thinking too much. He decided to hunt more and grind more Code and items. He already crafted a lot of Basic grade and he needed more so he could reach Rare grade. 

The Basic grade crafting needed raw materials while the Rare grade needed Basic grade items. The higher grades must also need items from the grade below them, meaning the higher the quality he wanted to craft, the more raw materials he needed.

A Basic grade craft needed three raw materials, a Rare grade craft needed five materials. To craft a single Rare grade item, he needed fifteen raw materials. And that wasn't easy considering he has to consider the compatibility of the items.

He can't just collect three different things and craft randomly. He needed to think of the outcome, and the impact of their synergy. Allen was practically being too picky with his materials that he was barely crafting anything.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Allen heard the buzzing, and he knew that these were the wasps similar to what attacked him a few months ago, that night when he received the Snake's Blessing. He suddenly felt reminiscent of the times before he recieved the power.

The only regret he had was the fact that he was easily swerved by his emotions that he didn't think right. He blamed all the things that happened to him to Kyle and the others when it wasn't them who were wrong, and it wasn't him either.

He now knew of the truth. Chen thought it was fun to play with him, so he made him lost in the woods. Thinking this way, Allen should be furious. The man almost killed him after all.

But for him, what Chen did was a push for him to spread his wings. He could now fly to the parts where only the few could reach. The misfortune in his path only paved the bright future for him.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

The buzzing got louder, meaning that the wasps were getting nearer. He readied himself. With the glaive on his right hand, he slightly tilted his knee. "Let's go!"

–

Clack. Clack. Clack.

"You're here, finally," a man with a long pitch black hair that was tied said as the door opened. Lin entered the room where thirteen more others were sitting. "Lin, let us start the investigation regarding the chairman's death."

Lin stared at the man, and then at the others. "Why did you even bother inviting me here? Don't you think my ties with the late chairman would hinder this investigation?"

"Oh, don't start the drama," a rather skinny woman spoke. She wore a large feather headress that accentuated her face that barely had any meat. "We're all sad about what happened to Drake, but you are the best at finding things in all of us."

"But Remy…" Lin was cut off by a clearing of the throat from the man with the pitch black hair. "Louie…"

"We need you talent, Lin," Louie said, offering his had. "Please, help us achieve the justice for Drake. We need you most right now."