"Was that to your liking, sir Dione?"
The leader of the organizers gauged the reaction of their superior. Surprisingly, all five of them were hundreds of feet up in the air, looking down at the unfolding events of the Atlas Incorporated festival. The other organizers looked uneasy, feeling as if they could fall at any second. But in reality, they were probably as safest as they could be since they were in the presence of the mighty Dione.
"Yes. The Fiend was a little bit weaker than I expected–I don't even know why it's called a Fiend. It's more like an ant. But this was the best I could summon that wouldn't anger the big Chain up there."
Dione was the one who orchestrated the whole encounter with the Fiend. Everyone was wondering how a Fiend was able to infiltrate the very center of the city without being detected by anyone, and as it turned out, the Fiend had the help of one of the strongest beings in the nation. No wonder the Fiend appeared in the middle of the arcade.
The Fiend that almost killed tens of people and destroyed a whole event was deemed too weak for Dione. And the worst part was that Dione was planning to summon a much stronger Fiend, but wasn't able to. That was because this was the Chained Being's territory, and he simply couldn't do as he wanted or else He would have to intervene.
"I must say, sir Dione. You were right. The kid does have excellent eyes. He must have a very good perception-ability Teqx."
And now, the reason for this whole affair was revealed. Dione released the Fiend directly in front of Patty to properly see his ability under threat of death. It was a cold blooded move. He was willing to sacrifice the lives of civilians and destroy the livelihoods of the arcade just so that he could test a potential inheritor. He didn't care about the repercussions of the Fiend, he only wanted to see what Patty would do when a Fiend appeared.
They all remembered how Patty moved with swift purpose and hasty movements that looked like that of a veteran Dreamer. His eyes followed every movement as if he could see them even before the Fiend decided to move. He had an insight for danger like no other. Not to mention his confidence in his abilities. They almost died laughing when Patty started to play with the Fiend like a Whac a mole.
That was an ability that was not that of a human. So he must have had a Teqx of his own, probably a C-class or B-class Power Teqx that gave him that monstrous perception and ability. That kind of power was desired in most games and sports, especially those involving high speed decision making.
This was a good Teqx, don't get it wrong, but it wasn't exactly the best. If the whole world knew that Dione was searching for an inheritor, then multiple talented and world-class prodigies would come lining up in front of him, begging. They didn't know why Dione was so interested in a guy like Patty.
"It's disappointing that he is quite weak," Dione commented.
He thought that Patty would eventually try to fight against the Fiend to save his life. That was the reason he chose this method; he wanted to see Patty's fighting ability. If Patty was reasonably assured that he could avoid all the Fiend's attacks, and he had shown that he could, then any other person would try and kill the Fiend.
But unfortunately, Patty didn't show any talent in the physical aspect of fighting. It would have been perfect if he had shown a sliver of genius in fighting, but life was not perfect.
"Yes, sir. He is as squishy as a marshmallow. There are other better students even here in this place. Felix D'Macchio showed great talent. Why do you want to recruit Patty?"
Dione looked up at the stars. Only people who have reached a high enough level in their dreams understand that not everything can be quantified. Even the man who was the strongest can fail to become a martial god. Even the woman whose beauty knew no bounds can fail to charm the world. Even the most valuable gold can become as useless as stone. In order to reach the very pinnacle of the world, you need that intangible, unquantified, characteristic. Nobody knows what that is, but it was a fact that all the Supreme Beings had this characteristic.
"He is very dedicated," Dione replied.
"Dedicated, sir? In what way?"
"Dedicated in being lazy."
"Pardon? Isn't that contradictory?"
"It is. But that is good. We could use that dedication to help Atlas fulfill our dreams in dominating the world. With my knowledge and skills, I can transform him into something that will outshine all the other geniuses and prodigies in the world. Under my guidance and leadership, someday, this lazy kid right here will be among the leaders and shakers of the world who decide what happens to the world."
The organizers kept quiet because they didn't understand the kind of confidence that Dione had in Patty. But, who were they to question his judgment? They were just babies compared to the experience and wisdom of Dione, who was one of the people who built the Atlas company to what it is now.
"We understand sir. We will send someone to recruit him. You can expect good results," promised the leader of the organizers. He already thought that getting Patty was a done and easy deal. After all, who would be stupid enough to deny themselves the opportunity to join one of the most esteemed companies in the country? He thought that he would only have to mention that Patty would be joining the main company of the Atlas Incorporated, and he would throw himself to them.
"But, sir. What are we going to do with the aftermath?"
They all looked down and saw how the chaos unfolded as people started screaming and shouting away from the Arcade tent. Seeing everything from up above, they saw how the craze and mania spread like a wave starting from the tent, all over the festival. Even people from the other side started hearing things and panicking about the Fiend. Suffice it to say, nobody wanted to stay behind anymore.
With that one stunt from Dione, the whole festival was entirely ruined. Nobody wanted to stay in the festival when a Fiend could suddenly appear out of nowhere. The happiness and joy was quickly replaced with anxiety and dread. And that's not all. If this news spread all over the nation, then it could tarnish the reputation of the Atlas company itself. It would spoil all their plans of expansion to the world.
But of course, Dione was no foolish being. He was an ageless man who navigated through the ups and downs of creating a global-level company. He knew what his action would do.
If he knew that the repercussions of bringing a Fiend in their festival was disastrous, then why did he do it in the first place. The answer was simple: he was very confident in solving everything.
"This is no problem," Dione said. "What do you think everyone is feeling right now?"
They could see people running away from the Fiend. They could see fear in their eyes. Everyone was deathly afraid of being torn apart by a monstrous being, after all they were just normal civilians who had no sort of defenses against something like this.
"They are worried."
"They think that the Fiend will come after them."
"They don't think that the festival is safe anymore"
Dione nodded at their answers. He then floated down closer to the festival and raised both his hands like he was carrying something on his shoulders.
"Then the answer should be easy." He looked back at them and gave them a cheeky smile. "I just have to lift their spirits."
As he said that, they saw a visible change in everyone's demeanor. Their frowns filled with worry suddenly eased into a sense of peace and security. It was as if the anxiety and fear they were burdened with was suddenly lifted away from their bodies. And since they were just released from that painful torment, they now feel gratitude for the relief they were given.
Just like that, all the negative feelings they had for this event was instead replaced by an even greater sense of appreciation and indebtedness. And since all of their worries were gone, they could now continue the celebration and revelry they were doing before this incident occurred. The festival can now continue as it was before.
The organizers underestimated the strength of godlike beings like Dione. They knew him as having a mastery for Power. This meant that his specialty was in doing physical feats akin to being a martial arts master or being an athlete. So, they thought his powers were limited to the physical world.
They never thought that he could defy reality like this. Dione literally 'lifted' their worries like he was just lifting up a simple barbell! How can that even happen? This must be what separated the mortals from the master Dreamers. What he did wasn't something that a Teqx power could do. It was something else, something magical.
"And so it is done," Dione said as he relaxed and let down his hands.
—------------------
After everyone's emotions turned back to a positive note, the events of the festival continued. One of those was the Musical Competition.
"Contestant #4444 Grammo Beatik, you are next in line. Failure to show will result in immediate disqualification."