Code Collector

<Dante Reed>

Rank: D

Allen grinned after he saw his rank. Barandilla clearly wanted him to have a hard time rising up so they could get more power while he was still climbing the ladder.

"I'm D rank," Jeremy said and the others followed. Everyone was placed in D rank, making it too obvious that whoever was affiliated with Allen was going to fall to the bottom.

"We're all D ranks," Gwen pursed her lips. "Now it's even harder for us to ascend."

"No," Allen said. "This just made everything easier. Let's go back to Sebastian's unit. I have a plan."

The other three looked at each other as they followed Allen who had a huge grin on his lips. He was proud and they didn't know why.

Meanwhile, at the other world higher than where Allen was, a commotion was starting. Whispers, gossips, and other words were being circulated, about a Hunter being eyed by Barandilla.

"Are they going to recruit him?"

"I heard Fantasia gave the boy a hard time."

"Seems so. Maybe they don't want him in Barandilla."

…

Words flooded the streets as Rourke walked around with Franco and Lay. They were one of the leading group of Hunters in Eternity. Albeit not equal to Sebastian or Fantasia, the group was still respected and were also feared.

"These rumors are getting out of hand," Franco sighed. "I don't think my mind can keep up with how many times its been altered."

"Perhaps it's because you're so short?" Rourke chuckled. "I could use you as my javelin, you know. Why do you even need to keep up with the gossip when we know the facts?"

Franco scoffed and crossed his arms, turning to Lay to ask for help. "Your friend is a bully."

"He's right," Lay said. "Not about the javelin part. But the part where he said that we don't need to keep up with the gossip. Why should we when we know who Barandilla is after?"

"Yeah," Rourke seconded. "They're after that boy and if they have their hands on him, it will be hard for everyone. Especially for us because Jack will kill us."

Franco crossed his arms, "What's so special about him, anyway? He defeated the Fire Dragon, yeah sure. But that's only because Bernard left it in the brink of death."

Lay handed Franco his tablet and played a video. The latter was silent for a moment before gasping. "Is this even legit? How was he able to do this?"

"We suspect that he's not just a regular Hunter," Lay said, making Fraco scoff and snort.

"No sh*t," Franco said sarcastically. "It's obvious that he's not a regular Hunter. But what's hidden beneath his smile and his persona? That's what I want to know."

The group entered a gigantic building and the woman of the front desk greeted them with a smile. She bowed at them and they just waved her hands at her, Franco passing his hand through the woman who turned out to be holographic.

"We beieve that he's someone that everyone has been looking for," Lay said to Franco as they entered an elevator. "We believe he's the missing piece of the puzzle, the Bearer of the Primordial Snake."

–

"Snake!" Gwen yelled as she leaped off of the bed and into the ground. She conjured a dagger as the little beast approached her, crawling through the carpet with swift yet soft motions. "How did a snake get here?"

"That's holographic," Kenneth crossed his arms while leaning on Gwen's doorway. "A lot of things here can be created through holograms. Especially in Eternity. They have almost everything robots there."

"Because no one would work?" Gwen asked, now relaxing. She tried touching the snake and her fingers passef through. "That makes sense."

"It does, doesn't it?" Kenneth chuckled. "Anyway, I'm heading out. You guys stay here. I'll be back in an hour."

Gwen sighed in relief and went to the living room where the others were. They were in the middle of a meeting when she excused herself so she could shower. When she got out, she saw the snake.

"Let me get his straight, you want the Wandering Trader to start here?" Jeremy asked. Gwen missed this part of the conversation, so she was now asking Gary about everything they talked about.

"Allen wants to start the Wandering Trader plot here," Gary said to Gwen in a whispered voice. "He said it's time for them to start reaching bigger stars instead of just the ones in Haven."

"I don't see why not," Gwen said. "Why do you disagree, Jeremy?" 

Jeremy sighed. "It would be too obvius if we start now. Especially when a lot of eyes are on us because we're D rankers. We just entered Paradise and suddenly, this Wandering Trader appeared? Too obvious."

"But we can make it look like none of us are him," Allen smirked. "And it would be a huge no no for them to notice because we are D rankers. The Wandering Trader is a person who can equal the power of strong people here."

"And how are you going to do that?" Jeremy asked.

Allen smirked and shook his head in amusement. "Maybe you forgot. I have an ability."

Allen's hand glowed and he shot the orb of light in the air, the orb forming a figure of a boy. The boy fully manifestef and he looked at them in the eyes. "Hello, my name is Oliver."

"You're gonna use a Body," Jeremy pointed out, now slowly getting convinced. "Yeah, that is plausible. If you could use a body that doesn't look anywhere near any of us, then yeah. Oliver fits that bill."

"Exactly," Allen said. "I could start canvasing for clients through Stacy and Vince, and then make the deal with Oliver. They wouldn't find them because they aren't real."

"Have you been planning this from the start?" Jeremy asked with a smirk. "Allen, you keep impressing me day by day."

Allen just shrugged. "I told you, I have all the plots I needed. We will succeed."

–

"Welcome to Haven."

Allen walked down the stone platform along with his friends. He was now even more inspired to do his plots after he was able to control his Bodies even when he was a world away from them.

He was going to risk it. Back in Haven, he tested his length of control and he was able to make the bodies run four camps away and then return to him in a blink of an eye.

He took the risk and decided to go back to Haven while the three Bodies stays in Paradise. He got through the portal and he could still control his puppets. He made them walk around he camp in Paradise while trying to look for a client.

"Welcome back to Haven," the woman in the counter greeted. "I would like for you to fill out these forms and you may leave the portal house right after."

Allen followed the instructions and answered the survey that was given to them. It was mostly just personal information and a short report on what they did in Paradise. Allen answered truthfully, saying that he was only there to take the exams.

"I get why you're going back," the woman smiled at hem comfortingly. "Paradise isn't exactly the best place for us weak ones. It's impossible to rise there."

"Yeah," Allen just replied. He then realized that the woman was also a Hunter who was able to ascend to Paradise. She just went back because she was a D ranker and she didn't have any other choice to rise in the ranks.

Allen was both happy and sad for her. She couldn't feel what its like to become strong and dive the deepest forests and fight the monsters in those woods in Paradise. She couldn't also get to slowly rise in the ranks and get stronger and richer.

But he was also happy for her because here in Haven, she was treated as an equal. She may have already reached Paradise, but the people in her workplace weren't at all intimidated by her.

"You can stay in Haven for as long as you like," the woman said. "Don't worry about those *ssholes. They will get their time."

Allen didn't want to talk anymore so he just smiled and left. They still have about two hours of walking so they could get to Camp Twyla from the Portal House, so the group started walking.

In the middle of their walk, Allen felt a presence in Oliver's point of view. He immediately focused on Oliver and there he saw a grieving man. He was sitting in the middle of a dark alley while kneeling on both his knees and crying.

"Is there something wrong?" Allen as Oliver asked.

The man slolwy looked up to see a hooded figure wearing a wooden mask. He had a short height and the slender body of Oliver was obvious even when he was wearing a baggy cloak.

"I have no money," the man cried. "A thief stole it. A theif!"