"HAHAHAHA, are you really certain of it?" The director laughed hard while sitting on his chair, almost about to fall.
He rubbed his thin and grey whiskers every time he stopped laughing. But what was so funny for this fool to laugh like that?
"Only if you want to die, director," the dwarf said, glaring at the director intensely.
"Don't be like that, old friend. If I die, then you will be the next in line for succession for the next director." Said the director, he had wrinkles all over his skin and gray eyes and hair.
"Bugger that, I brought you guests. They say they want to join us." The dwarf gestured towards us.
The director scrutinised me before opening his mouth. "You're kind of strange. How did you come to know of this place? Via an artificial crack?"
The dwarf interjected, "It's impossible to come through the artificial warps. Even if they did, we would have been notified, and they would automatically be transferred back to Earth."
I calmly answered, "Yes, I cut down that warp you are speaking of."
The dwarf looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. "What nonsense are you uttering? That's impossible; for more than 50 years, no one has broken in."
"Then I'm the first in the list." I said.
Bentend listened to everything so silently that it made me want to punch him. He was the one to offer the information about us, and now he's keeping his mouth shut?
The director looked amused at my answer. He rubbed his whiskers and pondered about something, I could sense. He was interested in knowing more about it.
"From your attire and that sword, mostly that energy around you, I can assume an intiverse? But what reason would you have to join us?"
I looked at the Bentend, who seemed to be frozen in one place. When he noticed my gaze, he answered.
"I have heard about a rumour that monsters were killed before the sentries arrived at the scene. I did my research and made many conclusions now that I know the answer. I will want this: this group does belong to the Akram Flame Group."
The director's lips curled up; he seemed strangely happy. "I will answer only when you answer my question."
Instead of Bentend's response, he glanced at me. He wanted the answer from me. If he wants an answer, I will tell you.
"You don't trust others." I brusquely answered.
"And nor should you. Now, should I answer?"
The director gestured for us to sit, and the dwarf wasn't leaving us alone. He sat at the corner of the room, on a bench, folding his hands and gazing at us.
He had his own questions in mind; perhaps breaking that warp of his had made him furious.
"You, child, I'm impressed by your information, albeit more training is necessary." He said, smiling, "You were half right; we do belong to a group, but not to a group of sentries. Rather, I do like keeping a mystery for you to figure it out better. Know this."
The reputation of the sentries was worsening as the time flowed forwards. The monsters weren't their biggest problem; rather, it was humans themselves. The lower-tier sentry were sent to face the monsters, while the higher-tier sentries were playing political games. The weak were dying while the powerful ones were sitting back and watching.
The Nithim, the director, had collaborated with a mysterious man and made this secret place. Here, with the dwarf's help, they had achieved more than they ever imagined.
They found sentries best suited for the job, and through the artificial warps, they could enter the space gap and kill the monsters before other sentries would appear.
"The public will always be timid against such monsters; instead of wasting my power fighting the corrupted world, I used it to create this place and save lives while not revealing myself."
"What if a heavy-tier space gap appears?" Bentend asked, "Obviously dealing with it is never easy."
"We leave that to the government; they can't sit idly and watch if the world is in danger, or perhaps they are. Moreover, within the next ten years, the higher tiers, along with many people, will perish."
"What do you mean by 'perish?" Bentend asked.
"Leave the earth to find a better life. Who wants to fight off monsters their whole lives? Don't you find anything suspicious lately, mostly kidnapping news?"
In the midst of this whole conversation, I said, "I don't care about anything. Will you let us join or not?" I asked, Bentend and Kithim talked too much.
One dragged on the talking, and the other kept asking questions.
"I have a condition and a warning." Kithim said, "The warning is simple: the work you will be doing will involve a lot of risk. And the condition is simple: never to let any person know the secret of your work."
There was a person who would write down oaths; if any party breaks the oath, they will die. This type of magical power was powerful; there were several I had encountered before.
When the oath was signed, I also made my condition: "I will be free to do anything, except when I am needed; then I will help you."
The dwarf was against it, but the director agreed, and there was one more thing: "I need to find the weakest solo leveler." This startled both Nithim and the dwarf. What matter can I have with a nobody? They didn't ask any serious questions.
"We will help you find him." The dwarf said, but he had his own condition. "You better help me modify my artificial warp so later it doesn't get cut by someone else."
"HAHAHA, he's just mad that his warp was cut down." The director laughed. As the dwarf and the director argued, it reminded me of my master and how we used to fight over small things.
"The D-badges will be delivered to your doors." The dwarf told us, "Just be careful; if you're exposed, it will be worse. The world in these times is more threatening than you think, since both of you are new to all of this." It was a reminder.
We were introduced to many more things. Instead of working with others, I opted to work alone—well, with Bentend. He had chosen not to be a fighter but had chosen to sit next to a computer and help me from there. I don't know what he would get from there, but I didn't mind as long as a weakling like him doesn't get involved directly when I'm fighting.
"We will inform you when we will get an opportunity for you to meet Goun Anthani (the weakest solo leveler)."
We were directly transported to Bentend house; the sky was back to normal.