CHAPTER 6: THE CHOSEN
Lisa wasn't as shocked as before.
After everything she had learned, she had already begun to suspect that her father had some connection to this world.
She looked at Reina.
Lisa: "I somehow guessed that my father had some connection to this place after hearing that you're an Alan too."
Reina nodded.
Reina: "Your father is a direct descendant of the Alan Family."
Lisa listened carefully.
Reina: "And he was my only uncle."
Lisa's eyes widened slightly.
Lisa: "So... are you our only cousin?"
Reina smiled.
Reina: "Yes, I'm your cousin."
She paused for a moment.
Reina: "But I'm not the only one."
Lisa tilted her head.
Reina: "I have two younger brothers."
Lisa's face immediately brightened.
Lisa: "Really? Where are they? I'd really like to meet them."
Reina smiled faintly.
Reina: "They're currently at the main house of the Alan Family."
She looked ahead.
Reina: "We can't meet them right now, but I'll introduce you to them later."
Lisa nodded.
Lisa: "Okay. Well, I'm not in a hurry."
She paused.
Her expression became curious again.
Lisa: "But I have something else to ask."
Reina: "What is it?"
Lisa looked directly at her.
Lisa: "Why did the Mystic Orb choose my brother?"
Reina's expression changed slightly.
Lisa: "It could have chosen you... or someone else from the Alan Family."
For a moment, Reina remained silent.
Then she answered.
Reina: "Nobody knows."
Lisa looked surprised.
Reina: "We were all shocked when the Mystic Orb chose him."
A faint smile appeared on Reina's face.
Reina: "But there is one thing I can say for certain."
Lisa waited for her answer.
Reina looked toward the direction Arman had gone.
Reina: "It made the best possible choice."
FIFTEEN MINUTES EARLIERTHE MAIN HALL
The guards standing outside the enormous hall suddenly raised their voices.
"THE BERSERKERS ARE ENTERING THE MAIN HALL!"
The massive doors opened.
Arman and the other Berserkers entered.
Lisa wasn't there to witness it, but the Main Hall was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Seven magnificent seats stood inside the hall.
And at the center...
A grand throne.
Six of the seven seats were occupied.
The seventh seat remained empty.
Sitting in the six occupied seats were the heads of the six Berserker families.
CLARK CAMUS, thirty-eight years old.
The Head of the Camus Family.
And the older brother of John Camus.
MARK WINSTON, fifty-one years old.
The Head of the Winston Family.
And the father of Lloyd Winston.
YOSHIRO KATSU, fifty years old.
The Head of the Katsu House.
And the father of Ichiro Katsu.
STEVE ROMAN, sixty-eight years old.
The Head of the Roman Family.
And the uncle of Angela Roman.
RIHANNA AGNUS, thirty-five years old.
The Head of the Agnus Family.
And the older sister of Kim Agnus.
AUDREY ALAN, fifty-four years old.
The Head of the Alan Family.
And Arman's uncle.
The father of Reina Alan.
Finally...
The man sitting on the throne was the leader of the Order itself.
LEON VERNARS, seventy-one years old.
THE GRAND MASTER.
The moment Arman entered, the Grand Master stared directly at him.
Grand Master Leon: "So, Arman..."
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
Grand Master Leon: "You finally decided to come back after what you did last time."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!
A terrifying pressure descended upon Arman.
The atmosphere inside the hall changed instantly.
This was Mana Pressure.
Mana Pressure was created when a powerful individual released an overwhelming amount of Mana toward a target. It made breathing difficult and could dull the target's senses.
The other Berserkers remained silent.
They knew this wasn't an ordinary greeting.
But Arman's expression didn't change.
A powerful aura suddenly emerged from his body.
WHOOSH!
The Mana Pressure surrounding him disappeared.
Arman had cancelled the Grand Master's pressure using his Berserker Aura.
He calmly looked toward the throne.
Arman: "Quite the greeting you're giving me, old man."
His eyes narrowed.
Arman: "I came here because I heard she was here too."
Clark Camus frowned.
Clark: "Even if you are the Dragon Berserker, you cannot disrespect the Grand Master."
Arman turned toward him.
Then he raised an eyebrow.
Arman: "Don't get angry."
A small smirk appeared on his face.
Arman: "That's just our way of greeting each other."
He looked Clark up and down.
Arman: "By the way... who are you?"
John immediately stepped forward.
John: "He's my brother."
Arman looked at him.
John: "The new Head of the Camus Family."
John gestured toward Clark.
John: "Clark Camus."
Arman's expression changed.
Arman: "What happened to your father?"
The playful atmosphere disappeared.
John's expression became serious.
John: "My father passed away two years ago."
Arman remained silent.
John: "He was on an S-Rank mission."
John clenched his fist.
John: "In the middle of the mission, he was ambushed by one of the Ten Generals."
The entire hall fell silent.
John: "He managed to save the lives of the people and his teammates..."
John lowered his head slightly.
John: "But he lost his own life."
Arman closed his eyes for a moment.
He remembered Clark and John's father.
Then he opened them and looked at Clark.
Arman: "He was one of the greatest men I've ever known."
Clark remained silent.
Arman: "Don't be sad that he's gone."
His voice was calm but sincere.
Arman: "Continue walking the path your father left behind."
Arman looked directly into Clark's eyes.
Arman: "Make him proud."
John smiled faintly.
John: "I'm not sad."
He looked toward his brother.
John: "I'm proud."
His expression hardened.
John: "He died like a warrior."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Rihanna smiled.
Rihanna: "You're still the same as ever."
Arman glanced at her.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then he stood properly and faced the Grand Master and the family heads.
His expression became respectful.
Arman: "I greet the Grand Master and the Heads of the Houses present here."
The heads of the houses responded together.
"WE ALSO GREET THE DRAGON BERSERKER."
Arman looked around the hall.
Then he noticed the empty seat.
His expression became curious.
Arman: "Where is the Head of the Lionhart Family?"
The Grand Master answered.
Grand Master Leon: "He couldn't come due to some personal matters."
Arman stared at the empty seat for a moment.
Then he nodded.
Arman: "I see."
AT THE DORMITORY
Meanwhile, Reina, Lisa, and her friends were sitting together inside a dormitory.
Sakura looked toward Reina.
Sakura: "So... who exactly is the Grand Master?"
She then thought of another question.
Sakura: "And what is the role of these families?"
Reina sat calmly before them.
Reina: "As you all know, there are seven families responsible for protecting the peace of Heaven's Light."
Everyone listened.
Reina: "Five hundred years ago, the seven families created an organization."
Her voice became more serious.
Reina: "THE ORDER."
Lisa and her friends remained silent.
Reina: "The Order is responsible for maintaining peace throughout Heaven's Light."
She continued.
Reina: "Only the Order can assign missions to the seven families."
Yuta: "And the Grand Master leads the Order?"
Reina nodded.
Reina: "Yes."
Lisa leaned forward.
Lisa: "Then how is the Grand Master selected?"
Reina took a moment before answering.
Reina: "When a person breaks a Mana Crystal, they gain an elemental affinity."
Sakura looked surprised.
Sakura: "Elemental affinity?"
Reina: "Yes."
She continued explaining.
Reina: "The rank a person receives depends on their Mana capacity and the purity of their Mana."
She raised three fingers.
Reina: "There are four main ranks."
"C-RANK."
"B-RANK."
"A-RANK."
"AND S-RANK."
Reina began explaining them one by one.
Reina: "If you're C-Rank, your Mana capacity is low, and your growth is slow."
She continued.
Reina: "If you're B-Rank, your Mana capacity and growth potential are average."
Yuta nodded.
Reina: "With enough hard work, a B-Rank can eventually become an A-Rank."
Shinji raised an eyebrow.
Shinji: "Then what about A-Rank?"
Reina: "An A-Rank has high Mana capacity and excellent growth potential."
Her expression became serious.
Reina: "However..."
Everyone listened carefully.
Reina: "No matter how hard an A-Rank trains, they can never become an S-Rank."
Yuta frowned.
Yuta: "Why is achieving S-Rank impossible?"
Reina looked at him.
Reina: "Because S-Ranks aren't created through training."
The room became silent.
Reina: "They're chosen by the Mana Crystals."
Lisa's eyes widened.
Reina: "No matter how hard you train, if the Mana Crystal doesn't choose you..."
Her voice was firm.
Reina: "You will never become an S-Rank."
Everyone remained silent as they absorbed her words.
Reina continued.
Reina: "That's why many people prepare themselves before breaking a Mana Crystal."
Shinji: "Prepare themselves how?"
Reina: "They consume Mana-enhancing potions and train their bodies to their absolute limits."
She continued.
Reina: "Doing so can increase their chances of receiving a higher rank."
Shinji became curious.
Shinji: "What happens if we don't take potions or train before breaking the Mana Crystal?"
Reina's expression became serious.
Reina: "Then you'll probably receive a lower rank."
She paused.
Reina: "And in some cases..."
Lisa looked worried.
Reina: "You could even die."
Everyone froze.
Reina quickly continued.
Reina: "Of course, in extremely rare cases, someone can receive a high rank without any preparation."
She smiled slightly.
Reina: "If luck is on their side."
Lisa stared at Reina.
Then she asked the question she had been thinking about.
Lisa: "Then... what rank are you?"
Reina remained silent for a moment.
Lisa and her friends waited.
Then Reina calmly answered.
Reina: "I am..."
A powerful pressure suddenly escaped from her body for a brief moment.
The room trembled.
Lisa and her friends' eyes widened.
Reina's red eyes glowed faintly.
Reina: "AN S-RANK."