A few minutes later, they'd blasted through the remaining hotpot. Hemp cleared his throat.
"In light of this dish, I have decided to let him become one of our commanders. His skill will be integral to some parts of our running this organization."
Emery resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'You already made that decision earlier. Who are you even fooling?!'
Chris nodded. "I'll make sure he gets familiarized with everywhere by tomorrow morning."
"Good. And make sure you tell him about that… other stuff. It's pretty important stuff for him to know."
An audible silence passed through the room. Emery wasn't sure. What were they talking about? It seemed like everyone in the room knew except him.
"Understood, boss. I'll do just that."
Emery gave his thanks to the man and stood up.
"I'll clear the table now," he said.
Hemp shook his head, then waved him away. "No need to worry about that. I'll get someone to help do that. There was something that Konnor wanted to teach you, right? Go with him now and come back to Chris so he can help you out once more."
'I didn't expect that, but if it means I learn more about that skill, then I'm all in for it.'
He nodded, then looked at Elyn and Citro.
"Can they come with as well?"
Konnor furrowed his brows but grunted in approval a few seconds more.
"Alright." he nodded.
The large man walked out of the room, prompting Emery and co to follow him immediately after.
'He really doesn't waste time, huh?'
There was barely enough time to say goodbye or even thank Hemp. He had to move in order not to lose sight of Konnor and his massive steps.
"Where are we going?"
No answer. That was clearly a sign that he needed to shut up.
They left the building, with a lot of people providing space for them to pass. And even more, people who cast their curious gazes onto Emery's figure. He recognized a few hateful glares, but it was quickly evident that none of them would try anything.
For that, he was grateful.
Meanwhile, Konnor walked wordlessly. Spear in hand and menacing, he quickly went past the initial area of Hemp's domain, crossing into the area populated by Class 10 Beasts.
But they didn't stop walking there. They passed that area and moved on to the more dangerous parts of the city, bordering on the second half of the city. But even then, they didn't stop.
Several incredibly strong monsters were everywhere, the only thing keeping them in check being Konnor's aura.
Finally, they stopped, but it was in front of a building that Emery wished he would never have to see again.
It wasn't nearly as tall as Hemp's base and was rather damaged by attacks, but it sure was pristine. Carlos' headquarters was a court he annexed after the fall of the world. He was one of two people who had somehow become Class Seven straight off the bat. Hemp was the second.
There was a reason why they were respected as the two hegemons.
So, they took over the city. The first half, of course. They shared the first half of the city and constantly fought over territory. No one could claim the second just yet. The second was where Emery stayed, even if it was only on the borders.
The second half was closer to the forest outside, hence closer to beasts than humans.
Carlos' part of the city was closer to the second half. So he incurred the most losses when the Class Five Threat attacked. Emery tried to avoid it as much as possible, but Carlos kept coming to meet him.
"What are we doing here?" he asked Konnor finally as those thoughts flew by.
He looked to the side and recognized one of the buildings he passed by when the Class Five attacked him. His memory of that day was as clear as day.
A few Awakened bearing Carlos' insignia moved through the ruins, carefully attacking some lower-ranked beasts.
Finally, the large man spoke.
"We came here to train, no?" he snorted, "Or are you not serious about learning the skill?"
"No, it's not that-"
"Then what is it? You work for Hemp now. I also work for Hemp. You want to learn. I want to teach. Let's kill two birds with one stone."
Emery froze at the large man's terrifying words. They were gradually heading into territory that he didn't want to explore. He didn't want to kill anyone. He wouldn't kill anyone!
Clearly, his hesitance was obvious. Konnor snorted out loud. His spear slammed into the ground and brought up sparks.
"Don't tell me you're stuck up in childish fantasies? How have you survived so far without taking a life yet?"
How had training developed into this so quickly? He didn't want to kill. Emery looked at Elyn for help. She had turned away from him.
"Do it already. If you're truly ready to work for Hemp, then kill them."
And for that brief second, something came over him. He stared at Konnor dead in the eyes and summoned every bit of strength from his body.
"I will not. I refuse to kill anyone just because you ask it of me. Whether I work for Hemp or not will not influence my morals or decisions,"
Konnor grinned and spread out his arms. A bright red aura exploded from his body and spear, directed fully at Emery.
The chef didn't back down and tapped into the same source of energy within his body. Green and red auras clashed. The winner was obvious, but the green aura didn't back down either.
Elyn and Citro approached him for the back, ready to assist if anything happened.
A few minutes later, Konnor stopped emanating the aura. He had a satisfied expression on his face.
"Good, good. Well, you aren't completely hopeless, it seems."
Emery released a breath and stopped the energy from flowing as well.
"I'll teach you the basics for now." Konnor continued, "Don't disappoint me."