I wanted nothing to do with this guy.
Just his mere presence made me feel repulsed. He didn’t show it on the outside, but he was a snake.
He was a snake that couldn’t be trusted.
“Do you need anything from me…?”
I looked around to see if he had been lurking around in order to snoop around my office area, or if I was just being too paranoid, and it was, in fact, just a matter of bad timing.
I got my answer a few moments after.
“I was just passing by when you opened the door.”
“Oh.”
Was this really the case?
I hoped so.
“It’s a funny coincidence, I guess.”
I looked behind him to see if I could spot Kyle anywhere. However, regardless of where I looked, he didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight.
“Are you looking for Kyle?”
Myles suddenly asked as though he could see through my intentions. My brows furrowed a little, but I soon nodded my head. In hindsight, I was probably being a little too paranoid. My intentions were a little obvious from the start.
“Yes. Have you seen him somewhere?”
“Yeah, he’s gone with the Section Chief and some other members to the upper floors.”
“Upper floors? Isn’t that…”
“Guild Master’s office.”
“…Ah.”
I came to a sudden understanding. The Guild Master… I didn’t really know much about him despite having been in the Guild for a bit and receiving an offer from him. All that I was able to find out about him was that he was incredibly strong and that he once used to come from the Containment Sector.
In other words…
He was probably a lunatic.
But what was he doing in the Guild Master’s office?
“Recently, there’s been a complicated situation taking over the city. Something to do with a potential Thrall Class Anomalous Entity. It has yet to be classified as such, but based on the recent reports, it is likely going to be the case.”
“Ohh.”
I suddenly understood.
This was the thing that Kyle had been talking about just before.
’So it really is that dangerous?’
I secretly shuddered. Thankfully, it seemed to be something outside of my pay grade or interest.
From the description and pictures Kyle had shown me, I really didn’t want to get anywhere close to that thing.
“We’re all just waiting to see how the Guild will handle the situation. For now, it looks like the Guild will try to get a few more people to investigate the matter. If the situation really turns bad, then it looks like the island will get rather lively.”
“I can see that…”
I was actually curious to know about the world outside the island. From what I understood, this island was merely a small part of the greater world.
’Maybe I’ll find some time to travel over to the main island.’
When I had time…
There were still several things that I needed to handle over here before thinking about going there.
“In any case, this is just the worst-case scenario. I don’t think it’ll get that bad, but the Guild will be rather lively soon. The noise might even bother you while you’re working. I’m just telling you in advance.”
Myles suddenly laughed as he scratched the back of his head.
He looked so innocent as he laughed. So much so that for a moment, I started to question whether he was truly the same character that I knew.
’No, in the first place… just because he’s a character that I’m familiar with, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be exactly the same as I remember them.’
For example, Zoey’s storyline was different.
Her parents died, and she didn’t manage to save them.
This wasn’t part of the original storyline.
Could the same thing be applicable to Myles? Could I have been overly cautious of him for no reason…?
“Well, it looks like I need to go now. I’ll… ah…” Myles paused, looking a little depressed as his shoulders hunched. “I’ll sort out some paperwork for now. There are quite a few, so I should get started before it gets too late.”
He raised his hand and waved it, his dimples fading.
“I’ll get going. It was nice—”
“Wait.”
I stopped him before he could leave.
“Hm?”
Surprised, he paused and looked at me. I could see from his face that he was confused.
I didn’t bother and went straight to the point.
“There’s something that I’m curious about. I’m doing research for my game, and I previously heard Kyle mention things like fragments and purity levels. What exactly does that mean? Do you have any idea?”
“Fragments..? Purity levels?”
For the briefest of moments, Myles’s face froze.
His face tensed for a moment, just fast enough to make me question if I was seeing things or not.
“Kyle mentioned this before?”
His tone lowered a little.
“Yes…”
Sort of.
“I see.”
Myles scratched the back of his head, his eyes pausing on me. I grew a little tense the moment his eyes fell on me.
Something about his gaze felt uncomfortable…
“And this is just because you’re curious, right? It’s not because you’re interested in joining the Guild?”
“What sort of…?”
I frowned while listening to his words.
’As expected, even if he’s different from the character that I know, he still gives me the creeps. I should definitely stay away from—’
“Well, it’s honestly not that hard to explain.”
Chuckling, almost as if his previous demeanor had never existed, Myles began to explain, “In short, fragments are the things that we acquire by clearing the gates. The better we clear a scenario, the higher the purity of the fragment that we receive.”
“…Makes sense.”
This I more or less knew.
Well, all besides the purity part.
“I think Kyle told me something similar, but what does purity mean? Why does it matter?”
“The purer the fragment, the lower the risk of developing a fracture, which, simply put, is a crack in the node. The more fractures there are, the more dangerous the situation becomes, as it greatly increases the chance of it becoming a cognitive shard. And if that happens, it may already be too late.”
Though Myles’s words were light, my chest felt heavy upon hearing his words.
Cognitive Shard…
I was now almost certain that was the name of my disease. The one that had been tormenting me for so long.
’So a Cognitive Shard is an accumulation of fractures on the node?’
“There’s no real cure for Cognitive Shards. That’s why it’s important to build a resilient node. The purer the node is, the more resilient it is to cracks, and the less likely it is for you to develop a Cognitive Shard. You’re also likely to develop a stronger skill.”
“So that is why you guys look for highly pure fragments?”
“Yeah.”
Myles nodded.
“It’s really all about averages. The greater your average of the sum of fragments you need to advance, the better. As a rule of thumb, we aim for at least 60% purity before advancing. Nodes developed in that percentage range are resilient enough.”
“…Oh.”
This made a lot of sense.
No, wait…
60%?
I suddenly thought of the fragment I had received, and my heart skipped a beat.
’91%… Wait, isn’t my fragment like super pure?’
I also thought about the purity enhancer reward, and I almost struggled to contain my expression.
“Okay, it looks like I really need to run.”
Myles turned his wrist to check his watch, his face falling.
“If I don’t get started now, there’s a high chance I’ll never get started. It was nice talking to you… I wish you luck on your games.”
Waiving his hand, Myles excused himself and left.
“Thanks…”
I stared at his departing back for several seconds before turning back and entering my office. Since Kyle wasn’t available, there was no need for me to leave and look for him. It would just be a waste of time.
I now had enough information to understand what I needed to do next.
Clank!
Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath and looked at the rewards section once again.
’If everything that Myles told me is true, then…’
I think it was possible for me to advance into the Second Order right this moment.
But before any of that…
I lowered my head to stare at the black marking on my arm.
’Looks like today is your lucky day.’