Leonel obseved the young man and woman who landed before him with a slightly curious gaze.
From the way they called each other, he knew that the young man went by the name Badger. He had a simple look to him as though he never spared any thoughts toward scheming. His skin was a delicate brown color and his clothing was neat and tidy to the point of being overly meticulous. How he managed to look so fresh even when flying through the air at such blinding speeds was beyond Leonel's comprehension.
Compared to his unkempt beard and nest of straws he called hair, this young man was several levels his better. Though, actually, now that he thought about it, his hair had become exceptionally smooth and clean after awakening his Metal Synergy Lineage Factor. Not that he checked very closely, though.
The woman went by the name Mayfly. She had a tall, heroic build. Even compared to Leonel, she was almost tall enough to be at eye level with him, just barely falling short. She seemed like a born leader with a sharp mind.
Her hair was red, which initially made Leonel on guard against her as he assumed she might also be from the Brazinger family. But, after some more observation, he deduced that it was unlikely.
The two seemed like quite the pair, especially by the way they had made their way over. Badger actually allowed Mayfly to step on his shoulders as he flew. Leonel really didn't know how to react to such a sight. But, since Badger didn't mind, it wasn't really his place to say anything.
"You two were sent by Old Hutch?"
Badger and Mayfly looked quite stunned when they heard these words. Not many dared to call the old man by his nickname, least of all those under his command. The two of them were among the few who felt no fear before the geezer. They were surprised to find that Leonel was just as unreserved.
"Yes, we were sent for an attempted rescue, but it seems it wasn't necessary…" Mayfly said with a slightly confused tinge in her voice. "… Where are the others, it can't be that…?"
She was a bit worried to ask this question. But, she had no choice. Leonel had come out alone, so she braced herself for the worst.
"They're all with me. They're in an abode treasure of mine."
Once again, the two youths were shocked. But after a moment, they 'understood'. It must be that there were too few of them remaining, so they could all fit in such a treasure. They couldn't fathom the idea of nearly a hundred people fitting into just one space.
One had to know that spatial treasures were already inconceivably valuable. The higher the Dimensional Grade, the more valuable they were. This was because spatial treasures of a lower Dimensional grade entering a higher Dimensional world would destabilize and collapse.
If Leonel tried to take his Black Grade spatial bracelet to a Fifth Dimensional world, the already small space would break apart and eject everything within it. In severe cases, it might even destroy everything inside before it could eject it.
So, one really shouldn't blame the two for assuming the worst.
However, the two were soon baffled.
After a few hours, the trio managed to battle their way out of the encirclement of beasts. In fact, the only beast king that survived was the skeleton monkey king. Not only were they astonished by Leonel's battle prowess, but when they returned to the ships docked off shore, they were even more stunned as they watched Leonel bring out over 80 youths from his abode treasure.
Such a treasure really existed… They could hardly believe it.
At that moment, the Commanders of both the Southern and Eastern Lookouts listened to the stories of the youths. When they learned just how much they owed their survival to Leonel, they couldn't help but look toward the young man with fond gazes.
"Indomitable, this time you were too reckless. You can't just expose your face like this."
Violet Rain reprimanded Leonel harshly. But, somehow, she sounded more like a big sister admonishing her little brother. Plus… she couldn't wipe the smile off her face, so her attempts at looking stern fell flat.
She couldn't hide her happiness at all. She had been so worried about these kids.
It couldn't be said that things were perfect. Of the 87 youths sent, only 81 returned. Leonel wasn't a superhuman. Though he protected the youths to the best of his abilities when they charged toward the hive, there were some inevitable losses.
But, even this was already far beyond what the Commanders expected. Even just half surviving would have been a miracle to them.
"Alright, alright. That's enough, Violet Rain."
A hearty laughter came from the side of the Eastern Lookout Commanders. It seemed that unlike how the youths had rivalries, the Commanders of the various Lookouts weren't like this at all.
The laughter came from a jovial looking man with a massive gut. Somehow, despite his apparently unhealthy wait, he looked quite fit though his bald head was especially eye catching.
He went by the alias Big Buddha.
"On behalf of the Eastern Lookout, I really thank you, Indomitable. If it wasn't for you, I really worry how this would have ended."
Leonel smiled, feeling the good will of this man.
The atmosphere was jovial as everyone felt as though a big weight had been taken off of their shoulders. Maybe the only person who had a disatisfied expression was Pisces. Even King of Seas carried the happiness of a man who had just survived a near death experience. After Leonel snubbed Pisces, he wasn't nearly as stand offish with him. In fact, he quite appreciated Leonel. Humans were truly odd creatures.
Everyone seemed to understand why Pisces was brooding, so no one bothered her so as not to affect the happy atmosphere.
Eventually, it was time to go their separate ways.
Big Buddha's laughter sounded out again as he bid his farewells.
"I'll see you soon Big Sis Violet Rain. The opening of the Zone isn't too far away, I'll be leading these brats when the time comes."
Violet Rain smiled and waved them off.
The two ships that had been attached by a bridge slowly separated, wading through the piles of corpses on the ocean's surface to sail toward their destinations.
Pisces sent hateful glares toward Leonel, but the latter didn't seem to notice.
Not only had she not received the S-grade Beast Crystal, but she also knew that she hadn't qualified to enter the SS-grade Zone. According to the tallies, it was Leonel, Flowing Wind and Thunderous Clap who ranked first, second and third respectively.
She didn't know what to do with her belly full of hatred. She wasn't strong enough to oppose Leonel. And, with how much he had contributed to the Slayer Legion, he would probably be promoted to at least a Vice Commander.
She stood on the ship's helm, shaking her head. Maybe she should just forget it.
At that moment, she heard Big Buddha's jovial laughter again. Initially, it annoyed her. Why was everyone acting so happy when she was so unhappy?
Suddenly she froze. After a moment of thought, a smile curled her lips.
"Commander Buddha, can I talk to you for a moment? I have some questions about a Force technique I'd like to ask you."
"Oh?" Big Buddha, who had been conversing with the other Commanders smiled gently. He didn't mind guiding the younger generation at all. "Sure, sure. We have a lot of time before we reach the Lookout."
Pisces' actions didn't raise any sort of suspicion. Such a thing was quite normal. However, when she began to speak, Big Buddha's expression continuously changed before it became exceptionally solemn.
"Are you certain? You're saying that it can deduce the abilities of people and creatures, not to mention their weaknesses, with a single scan?"
"Yes, Commander. It isn't only me who saw this, there are many witnesses, you can ask anyone."
Big Buddha fell into silence. He felt exceptionally conflicted. On one hand, he didn't like what Pisces was implying by telling him this information. But, on the other, such a treasure was unheard of. So unheard of, in fact, that even though he hadn't shown any greed toward Leonel's rare abode treasure, the moment Pisces spoke of this...
It was too valuable to the Slayer Legion. The value of such a treasure was unimaginable…
But this wasn't the only important point… It was said that the first four to clear a Zone received special rewards. This was because the World Spirit was taken by another person many decades earlier.
The Slayer Legion already knew of who was second, third and fourth. However… not a single person in the world was aware of who was first…