CH363 The Chosen Four

***

"I am Kavakan, the mighty warrior of the Weretiger Clan of Westeria."

The first to speak was a massive man, easily two and a half metres tall. His sheer presence reminded Alex of the saying 'bear back and tiger waist'.

'Weretiger?' Alex raised an eyebrow.

Immediately, OmniRune supplied him with information about the race.

Weretigers were a branch of lycanthropes—similar to werewolves—but not to be mistaken for ordinary beastmen. Lycanthropes were shapeshifters who could freely transform between human and beast forms, as well as an intermediate hybrid state.

Where werewolves were known for speed, Weretigers embodied explosive power.

'I guess that explains the long orange hair and tiger waist,' Alex mused with a quiet chuckle.

The next person stepped forward.

This one was no smaller than Kavakan, though his presence differed entirely. Where Kavakan gave the impression of raw, predatory strength, this individual was pure, chiselled muscle—a walking mountain of flesh and muscle.

In fact, when Alex had first entered the room, this man had been in the middle of what looked suspiciously like seated arm training.

'A gym rat in another world?' Alex wondered.

"I am Mogal of the Dravo Tribe," the man introduced himself.

From his tribal drawings and distinctive attire, Alex immediately recognised him as a Barbarian.

Barbarians were a unique offshoot of the human race, once alien to Pangea, but long since adopted—or rather acquired—as outer-being soldiers by Pangean conquerors.

They were natural-born warriors, raised in combat from the moment they could walk.

According to OmniRune, the Dravo Tribe was among the largest and most renowned Barbarian tribes on Pangea. They trained their own kin relentlessly and sold them to the nobility as elite warriors.

It might seem a strange practice, but for the Dravo, battle was both culture and life itself.

They didn't seek the "beautiful death" that Orcs longed for. Instead, they believed that only through battle—by facing and conquering worthy foes—could they truly grow stronger.

That was the Dravo way of cultivation… or at least, a core part of it.

The next was a human woman, about 170 centimetres tall. Her hair was jet black, slowing turning amber as it approach the tips.

"I am called Silver. Silver Blackbolt." she said.

'Silver Blackbolt? That's a very… peculiar name,' Alex thought. 'There has to be a story behind that.'

He kept the thought to himself and turned to the next person. A six-foot-tall elf lounged against the wall, black hair falling lazy over his sharp features.

'A black-haired elf, huh…'

Alex had seen dark-haired Drows before, but never a black-haired elf like this. The man's ears were even longer than Eleanor's — he was almost certainly an outer-being elf, not a native of Elarion.

"Havel… Landomas," the elf said, voice slow, finishing with a bored yawn as if the effort had exhausted him.

Alex frowned.

He didn't want lazy subordinates, but Havel possessed ten rune slots — one of the highest counts Alex had seen.

It was only because he had a perfect vessel in Udara already at his side, that he was able to stay composed at the sight of Havel's readings.

'Lazy types often solve problems efficiently when it matters,' Alex mused. 'I'll give him the benefit of the doubt — for now.'

He nodded to the four chosen.

"Congratulations. You've passed the first test. We'll continue with the second test tomorrow. Get some rest — you'll need it."

A shifty-eyed youth from among the six who had accepted the detection spell but weren't selected piped up, "What about us, sir?"

Alex turned to him, then to the others he hadn't picked.

"You all seems like competent individuals," he said, "but not the sort of talent I need. Your skills would be wasted under me." He offered the closest thing to consolation he could muster.

Then he turned to the Agoge Master at the door.

"Bring them to the Enclave's main spire tomorrow. Give my name at the gates and the guards will direct you."

"Understood, Young Master Alex." The Agoge Master said, rubbing his hands with a look that Alex immediately recognised.

"You'll be paid regardless whether they pass the second test," Alex added, walking over to Drake. "Just bring the four of them."

Drake nodded, and the two began making their way out.

"About the price…" The Agoge Master, ever the merchant, quickly called out.

"Rest assured, you'll be paid whatever reasonable demand you have—tomorrow." Alex replied without looking back.

He and Drake left the property and soon disappeared into the night.

On their way back to the Enclave's main spire, while taking in the city's lively evening bustle, Drake suddenly said, "We're far enough. You can drop the act now."

Alex let out a wry chuckle. 'As expected of a Legend.'

Finally, he allowed his exhaustion to show.

"How bad is it?" Drake asked.

"Not much. Just feels like I went through a battle, is all," Alex answered.

Something couldn't come from nothing.

It was one thing to pressure a single person with his True Name, bloodline pressure, and aura—but thirteen? That kind of suppression had to be fuelled by something, and it would've been foolish to draw from his bloodline energy or essence.

Instead, Alex had powered the act with his mana.

Blasting his energy across such a wide area—enough to force the thirteen Agoge graduates to their knees—was monstrously inefficient. It devoured far more mana than it was worth.

If not for his Extreme Mana Capacity talent, no mana source at the Intermediate Rank could've sustained such an expenditure.

"The talent you checked for… is it the same one Udara has?" Drake asked.

'Perceptive,' Alex mused.

He nodded. "Yes. It's a talent that makes them perfectly suited for support from my unique Mage Class."

"Don't become too fixated on that talent," Drake cautioned. "You might end up overlooking a gem—or worse, choosing a waste."

"I'm aware. That's why I intend to test their combat ability tomorrow," Alex replied.

He still had some mana left in his Mana Heart—just enough to test the four chosen Agoge warriors if he wanted to, though reluctantly so. But considering the potential plots and hidden schemes surrounding him, he deemed it wiser to conserve what remained for self-defence.

Sure, he had Drake by his side, but Alex preferred a sense of urgency over his own safety rather than relying completely on someone else.

When father and son returned to the Enclave's main spire, proper accommodation was quietly arranged for Drake, befitting his status. Meanwhile, Alex made preparations for the following day's meeting with the four potential party members who would soon shape the next phase of his journey.

**(13/70)*

Kavakan

Mogal

Silver Blackbolt

Havel Landomas

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