Matthew slowly opened the door. It let out a loud creaking noise while slowly opening, revealing a dark pathway. From the depths of the pathway, a distinct, scraping noise could be heard.
No, it wasn't scraping.
It was something different… something more vicious.
"Let's go," Matthew announced, excitedly treading along the narrow pathway while bending over to fit. Arthur followed the boy, observing the harsh living conditions he seemed to suffer through.
'Why were the gang members assaulting such a boy?' Arthur wondered, narrowing his eyes. 'It's not like he has anything valuable to give. Perhaps they were after his mother? Yeah, that's definitely a possibility.'
'But for a gang of such people to target a single woman, she must not be simple.'
The two finally emerged into a ten-meter by ten-meter, square room. In the center of the room was a coffee table, on which the skin and body of a potato lay. Beside it sat a rather beautiful woman, holding a peeler.
"Mother," Matthew shouted, approaching the woman in a hurry before wrapping her in his embrace. The two shared a short hug before separating. The woman glanced at Arthur, nodding her head in acknowledgment.
"I'm Diamond, Matthew's mother," the woman introduced herself, standing up before bowing once.
"I'm… uh, Arthur," Arthur announced, bowing. He contemplated whether to use a fake name, but eventually decided against it since there was no point.
"Elder Brother Arthur saved me from those gangsters today," Matthew chimed in, a smile tugging at his lips. Diamond's expression crumpled at those words, and she immediately rushed to Matthew's aid.
Grabbing his shoulders with an expression of terror, she locked eyes with her son. "They harassed you again? What happened? Did you get hurt? Did they go too far with you? Name them!"
Her eyes exuded a sense of fear mixed with fury as if she were contemplating whether to endure it or retaliate. Arthur understood the subtle hint, interpreting it as a warning to him by Matthew's mother.
Although incredibly faint, Arthur had sensed the pressure as soon as he entered the room. Diamond was not ordinary, but she also wasn't too weak. 'I think she could've beat those guys up, though.'
'Was it simply because of her absence?'
"They were beating me with metal pipes," Matthew confessed, staring at the cold, hard floor of their shabby den. Reminded by the words of her mother, Matthew couldn't help but massage his arms, recalling the fear, the pain…
Every single day, he endured it. But today, a part of him wondered if they were going to murder him.
"Metal pipes…" Diamond struggled to suppress her anger, clenching her teeth.
"But Elder Brother helped me! He killed them all!" Matthew admitted cheerfully. As someone born in the tower, he was obviously not oblivious to brutality. Although still somewhat shocking to watch, he was quick to disregard it.
Diamond nodded, letting out a sigh as she turned to face Arthur, tears of gratitude trickling down her cheeks. She approached the crimson-eyed man, grasping his hands as she shook them. "Thank you so much for saving my child."
"It's no problem," replied Arthur, mustering his best smile.
The three conversed for a few minutes before Arthur finally realized the time was ripe to bring up the main topic. "Diamond, I have a proposal for your son. It's a job offer that comes with better living conditions and five thousand tokens per week."
Arthur knew the pay was certainly adequate to attract Matthew's attention. It was only Diamond he needed to convince.
"What are the contents of the job?"
"Artifact Refinement," Arthur replied. "I'm in the works of establishing a large-scale group, and I need people whom I can trust. I can't trust those old geezers that cost tens of thousands of tokens per item."
"Artifact Refinement?" Diamond asked warily, narrowing her eyes. "Why do you think my son is fit for the job?"
"I'm sure you've noticed his little inventions," Arthur explained. "The machine that converted kinetic energy into electrical energy–although crude–was still a testament to his skill and potential growth."
"How do you know about his inventions?"
"I don't appreciate being interrogated, Diamond, but I noticed its existence, and asked a few citizens about its origins."
Diamond nodded in satisfaction, apologizing for her behavior. She then turned to face Matthew. "Do you wish to go with Elder Brother Arthur?"
Matthew glanced at Arthur, then back at Diamond. "Only if you come with me."
Diamond smiled gently, caressing her son's cheek. "I don't know if that's possible…"
"Oh, that's possible," Arthur interrupted. "I can double the salary if you come, too. The more the merrier, right? Also, I need a fresh start, since everyone is already a master at their profession."
"Are you trying to raise a high-rank clan or something?" Diamond asked jokingly, letting out a chuckle as she rejoiced.
"Yes."
A short silence descended upon the den before Diamond and Arthur burst into laughter. The former wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "I like a man who has a sense of humor. I'm in."
"Amazing," Arthur replied. "I'll let you guys pack up, and be back in…"
"An hour."
"Sounds good."
Ruffling Matthew's hair gently, Arthur exited the den while smiling devilishly. 'If only you knew I wasn't joking.'
'Anyway, that went quite smoothly. I wasn't planning on recruiting Diamond before I met her, but now… She's interesting. The more interesting people I have with me, the more we can potentially grow.'
'Ferhill's going to get angry. I should probably notify him before bringing children over every few days. I wonder how Kai's doing… I hope Ferhill's teachings have helped him become accustomed to the world.'
'I feel like a dad.'
Arthur shook his head, wiping the grin off his face. 'Anyway, as the war approaches, I can only grow my forces. My group won't be able to become a low-rank clan until I become a Ranker, which is years away.'
'Unless I focus solely on climbing, which is also impossible.'
