Code Collector

Allen stood in disbelief, seeing the woman quirk her lips up to form a smirk. This is when Allen got suspicious. He looked around and saw that there were several police officers around him, five to be exact.

Allen raised his hands up to show surrender but then spoke, "Madam, I don't know why I'm being arrested when these fellow Hunters are the one who came into the D rank building and decided to attack me.

"This got out of hand when they started the fight. I merely fought back," Allen reasoned. "If you're doubtful about my words, you can check on that surveillance camera."

The boy showed a victorious smirk and pointed at the camera by the corner. It was positioned at the corner of the stairs, making it able to capture everything that had happened.

"That camera is disfunctional," the woman crossed her arms. "The organization thought that it would be a waste of money to let the cameras record events when there are no people here."

"But madam," Allen said. "What about the fact that these folks have attacked me in the building. They're B and C rankers, meaning that they don't have any business here."

The woman sighed and shook her head, "Listen, just come with me to the police station. I'll let the higher ups handle this matter. For now, you are to be detained until–"

"Right this second."

Their heads turned to the side after they heard the familiar soft but chilling voice. A figure of a man walked out from the darkness as he was smirking at them. "I have seen all of the events that had happened here. Mr. Dante Reed is free to go."

"But Mr. Sebastian–" the woman was cut off when Sebastian placed a finger on his lips to silence her. "Sir, roger that."

The long-haired blonde man looked around and scrunched his face after seeing the mess around him. The building was almost collapsing due to the attacks that came from Bryant, and the old leaking pipes were spraying water everywhere.

"This is pathetic," Sebastian sighed. "Dante, come with me. You shall stay in my room for tonight."

"But sir–"

Sebastian placed his finger over his lips again, pursing it harder this time. "Don't you dare try to order me. Know your place."

The female police officer was left to look down in shame. She was shaking after seeing the intense and terrifying aura that was seeping through Sebastian. If she wasn't a police officer that had Codes that guards them, she'd be falling to the ground in fear.

Allen followed Sebastian down the hall and into outside. The boy's eyes widened after he saw a car outside, something that not all people could afford. One car in the Otherworlds would cost at least thirty to fourty million dollars. That's how expensive it could get.

"Get inside," Sebastian ordered as he opened the passenger seat. The car was a supercar model, meaning there are only two seats available. Allen got inside and watched Sebastian as the man raised his hand in the air while the other placed two fingers in his mouth.

Wheet.

A bird the size of a van leaped out from nowhere, flying down and slowly shrinking in size as it landed gently on Sebastian's arm. From the size of a van, the bird was now merely a bit bigger than a dove. Sebastian rubbed its head as the bird melted in his touch, shaking its head for its master.

Allen watched this and was wondering if he could tame beasts too. There's only one way to explain this but Sebastian had a beast pet and he tamed it into his pet.

Then, just as Allen though that Sebastian would enter the car, the man pursed his lips and said something, making the bird glow and pop like a bubble. This made Allen's jaw fall, which something that Sebastian saw and laughed at.

The man entered the car and smiled at Allen, "Wikkan Avian. A pet-type Code."

"Pet-type Code?" Allen tilted his head to the side. "Is that a new type of Code?"

Sebastian shook his head, "No. But it is rare. A pet-type Code is something that's only found in Eternity. There are no other places to look for it. Not even here in Paradise."

"So, they're basically pets?" Allen asked. "You order around to do simple tasks and such?"

Sebastian shook his head, "Pet Codes can do much complex tasks other than fetch a ball or stick. Like the one I used now, I watched over you."

"And why is that?" Allen asked. "Why do I need to be watched over?"

"Barandilla has their eyes on you," Sebastian said. "They know that you have an incredible amount of power. And right now, you can match Barandilla's weakest member, Elaisa Verdes. Your power is comparable to her, that's what the spies are telling me."

"Fantasia was the one who said that to them, right?" Allen asked. "Before I ascended, the woman talked to me. Her gaze was like they were going to bear holes in my head. It was uncomfortable to say at least."

"I really see a great potential in you," Sebastian said. "Even Bernard wouldn't be too brave enough and too rash to suddenly point his fingers. The man was a thinker through and through, but you…"

Sebastian suddenly sighed and stopped the car, "You rely heavily in your intuition and this intuition is not far from the truth. Keep this up boy."

Allen smiled and nodded. Sebastian on the other hand chuckled and tapped the boy's shoulder, "We're here."

Allen exited the vehicle and was instantly blinded by the bright lights from outside. Sebastian's car was heavily tinted and his apartment building had barely have any lights on, so this kind of brightness is new to him.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked. "You looked like you'd pass out."

"No, I'm fine," Allen replied as he shook his head. "My eyes just got didn't use to the light."

"Snakes thrive in the darkness they say," Sebastian said. "Come on."

The apartment building for the ones who have ascended was nothing like the ones that are still in Paradise. When A rankers are treated like kings, the ascended Hunters are treated like gods.

The bright gold and white stone materials used in the building was a statement that everyone who lived there weren't people who you'd mess with. Sebastian told Allen that not only is there a level requirement to ascend to Eternity, the Hunter must also reach a quota with their money and assets.

The Hunters must have at least five hundred million dollars in their name, or else they couldn't ascend higher. That sum of money was huge, in fact, it's so huge that it could feed all the starving Hunters in Haven with a single Hunter's money alone. However, due to the fact that beasts in Paradise were also costly, it wasn't that hard to accumulate the money.

"Five hundred mil," Allen whispered. "That's a lot of money."

Sebastian chuckled, "They made it sure that the Hunter can provide for themselves. After all, in Eternity, there are only a very few vendors. You couldn't buy things as easily in Haven or even here in Paradise compared to Eternity."

"Right," Allen nodded in understanding.

He got where Sebastian was coming from. The Hunters who have ascended to higher worlds weren't exactly merchants. It was rare for merchants to ascend since they lacked the grind in the forests.

They use their money to buy Codes and then sell these Codes. If they don't sell the Codes and instead use it to burn for levels in the Skill Altar, their money would go down the drain.

"The only ones who sell in Paradise are about four Hunters," Sebastian said. "And each and every one of them are huge business tycoon owners. They have several businesses in Earth that generate their income so they could ascend."

"But that plan isn't sustainable," Allen said. "The price of Codes to burn would increase, until such time that it would demand a huge sum of money."

"That's not such a huge problem for people who has chains of businesses in Earth and even in Haven," Sebastian said. "They're money is infinite as of this point. Even when they buy ten Sacred grade Codes, it wouldn't hurt their pockets."

"Wow," Allen was left dumbfounded. "So this is the power move of the rich and powerful, huh? And then they would leave the poor and starving to the ground, helplessly trying to beg for a bite off of their food."

Sebastian opened the door, making Allen's eyes widened. "That is why we need you to get stronger now. The Barandilla had acknowledged your strength, making it mean that they are going to keep an eye on you and try to make your life hard so you wouldn't surpass them."

"And that's why we're here," Bernard grinned and raised a thumbs up. "We'll be your pillars so you could change this world for the better.",