"So, you say that those strange rats, super-fast rabbits, too powerful bears are all because of those monsters?"
"Yes. And you say that although you are an "outsider", you are not an outsider?"
"Yes."
The both of them looked at each other, a little unsure what to do from here on. This really was not a logical case. 'World has turned so strange' both of them thought.
The man said "Look, I became surety. But, I didn't think there was going to be such a... story. I might not maintain my surety when we walk away from after this, you understand my dilemma, right"
Allen thought carefully and said, "No, I don't,"
"Oh, yes. You do not know the history… yes. What is the matter is that now and then our bases change… hands you can say"
"Do the previous leaders die so soon?"
"Mostly no…. mostly they end up going outside to be part of a larger governing body, to establish the presence of our base on other bigger bases and share techniques, among many other things, and this has become the custom that other bases invite the leaders of the smaller areas as part of the council they build. They do need people who actually understand the situation and needs of their area well. Another thing that might happen is that the people don't agree with him on some matters and they remove him. Maybe the system finds him incompetent later and removes him. Sometimes, they end up dying either in foreign lands, in an invasion, or by natural causes… Although I don't remember when that happened last time," Forge murmured the last sentence and Allen couldn't quite understand it. He did not understand the dangerous implication that statement contained. No leader of theirs had died in a natural cause in so long of a time!
"So, is the base in the middle of changing hands now and that is why it is not a good time?"
"Kind of. Usually, the system is the one that declares all kinds of outsiders as the enemy, but the system was the one who asked me to give your surety, even though in the end it was my decision…. but you…"
Allen thought, 'It didn't declare me as an enemy'
Allen said "Good. If I'm not marked, doesn't that prove my credibility? Maybe you can trust me if that is the case. What do you think?"
The man said, "The problem is no longer whether I can trust you. The problem is what the system might end up doing…"
Allen said, "I am in danger because of the system?"
'He is getting too worked up too fast' the man thought
"Let me complete what I am trying to say. The real problem-problem is-the system might end up taking you as a candidate for the leadership"
Allen kind of remembered a notification that he had received when he reached here this time, before being redirected to a library by the system…
"Does the notification kind of look like this?" Allen gave permission for others to view his notification, and the man named Forge just sighed a little, seeing that.
"I… give up. The system has already made you a favorable candidate for leadership, let alone a normal candidate among the 3 new ones already present."
"Three new ones you say…" Allen was really sensitive to the word three currently. The number of people from his team that had been downed by those creatures were also three.
"What are their names?" Allen further tried to ask forge. But the system understood the question and displayed the list of candidates, or rather his now to be opponents?… And he was pretty sure that they were the same people that were in his team before.
'What is going on here… the researchers couldn't force log them out and they had said any attempt may end up damaging their mind. And here they are, playing so dandily that the game picked them for a leadership position…'
"Who picked them?"
"The system used all the slots available if I include you too"
"Can I meet them now?"
"If they want to, sure. I didn't know you were so… wait. You don't know what that means" He said that, and finally understood what happened. He just massaged his head a little.
The man said, "Meeting them now is not very simple…"
Allen said, "Do I have to get an appointment?"
The main said, "Well, it is more simple than that… whenever any of the candidates see each other on the base… they have to beat each other in a match. Made to select the leader"
That was pretty awesome too…
"I still want to meet them. How do I do that?"
The man looked at him and said to him "Did you not take a teacher recommended to you?"
"Teacher recommendation…. okay I accept you as a teacher"
The man was more speechless than before. He tried to form some words "w-that…. no. You don't understand. I think it is better for you to talk to the system regarding this," the man said and went away from there so fast that Allen could not stop him… unknown level brother, you should at least give some chance….
Allen said to the system," What are my teacher recommendations?"
It showed Allen the two people that he had met during his first assessment.
'Don't tell me they were the ones assessing me instead'
Allen saw some details about them and understood why the man escaped. Both of the recommendations were former heads or teachers of the institute, not a regular NPC.
From now on, Allen was calling the man that he met the regular NPC.
Anyway, both of them had impressed him, but more so the leg master. So… he just choose him reading no further things about him. He was in a little of a hurry here.
When he picked him though, he could see that he reached outside the room that he had arrived here in the beginning.
A kick of the leg master soon met him, this time he had the same level. The kick, still using all the combos and special skills, beat him down quite hard. The dude, or rather the teacher of his did not even talk to him… After a few tens of minutes of beating down, Allen was about to reach zero and then the leg master gave him a brief rest and used some skill on him. Allen was back to around 90% of his hp in no time. Feeling a little energized and optimistic about things, he was beaten wonderfully by the leg master for a few tens of minutes again and the same thing repeated for 4 full hours. Allen thought that he ain't going to meet any of the 3 people today, that proved to be true when after beating him up for another two hours and awakening some leg mastery skill and some combo skill in him, the leg master gave no instructions on how to find his opponents mentioned by the regular NPC.
When given the go to leave, he sighed in relief and could only return when the leg master did not listen to any of his words.
Allen returned to his room and he could already see that a person was standing outside his room. Probably because he had not locked the door. He went outside, and it was his neighbor Sam, who was looking at him silently. Sam said, "So, what did you find from in-game?"
Allen could feel one stress after another coming on him this day. Then, Allen explained to his now superior commander what he found out from the game. He was not in the mode to skip details. He wanted to get some insights from someone else about this occurrence. This was too much to make sense for any one person.
Sam then gave him his thoughts about the situation.