"We are doing this again?" Derrick asked with a sigh, his hands folded in front of him. "We've been cleaning this place for weeks now, and for what? One credit per day? What's the use of that?"
Severin didn't reply. His eyes were on the massive building in front of him. The building was constructed in the form of a massive square of a blue material that seemed to be entirely solid.
The research facility. It was one of the top facilities in the Empire. The Zenith Hero Academy didn't only focus on combat; they understood that a lot goes into making someone strong. Hence, the money spent on the research facility.
New techniques and improvements to the existing ones, as well as more creative ways of using Etherion technology. But what it was most famous for was the invention and creation of different kinds of war equipment.
Equipment is different from artifacts, although they share similarities in many things. Artifacts are found in dungeons—a direct manifestation of Etherion into tools—while equipment is made by men.
Both are ranked from the first grade, which is the highest, to the seventh grade, the lowest. But artifacts are always stronger, even in the same rank, and much rarer to acquire.
"We will stop cleaning the facility after today," Severin said calmly.
"Better," Derrick snorted, his face molded in a sneer. He'd been feeling more arrogant with the boost given to him by Severin. He was now strong enough to hold real influence as one of the strongest in Class Four.
And lately, the way he looked at Severin had changed—from the fearful, hopeful look to that of calculation that Severin knew all too well.
"...This bastard... he's planning something... probably along the line of how he could keep me giving him the boost while he holds the real power..."
And Severin knew that it was partly his own fault. After all, he'd made no move for a whole month while he let Derrick do as he wished.
"...But things are changing... from today..."
The sound of footsteps soon reached them, and Ethan came into view with his long hammer resting on his neck. The moonlight made the shadows around his eyes seem bigger. "Do I really have to be here?"
He looked at Severin with pure, undisguised hate. His reputation had fallen so hard after his defeat, and he'd been trying to guard what remained. That's why his hatred for Severin had increased so significantly—for making him apply for the cleaning service.
In fact, Severin made Ethan sign a contract that stated he was working for him.
"Come, we have a lot to do today. I will give you a strong warning before we start. You must absolutely obey my orders. I don't care if you glare at me; just do as you're told."
Ethan looked at Derrick with a frown. Normally, Severin was always serious, but right then, his words made their guts tighten. What was the fucking lunatic planning again?
But for the next few hours, they forgot about everything as they lost themselves in cleaning—from the toilets to the office and then some of the different research rooms.
Even for them, they couldn't access most of the rooms for cleaning.
"Don't you think the security is tighter today?" Derrick said.
They were having a short break with the other teams in the room made for the staff.
"Yes. Something is definitely up," Ethan said, looking at Severin intently.
The hallway had been crawling with more guards than usual, and the air felt strange—a bit heavy to breathe in.
Severin looked around, and after confirming that the two people he was searching for weren't in the room with them, he nodded and visibly relaxed. "It's only natural. After all, one of the Headless is here."
Derrick and Ethan froze as one. "What?"
The Headless—officially known as the Impartial Guards—are the elite of the elite: one hundred Etherion users that serve the Emperor directly. They are called Headless because no one had ever seen them take off their helmets.
Ethan's eyes widened. "What is a Headless doing here? The Academy rules itself, as much as they don't do anything against the law of the Empire. And the Headless represent the direct will of the Emperor. What is one of them doing here?"
Severin knocked on the wall. "The Headless is here for the research facility. He brought a recently found key here for the facility."
At the word "key," the two stiffened even more.
After the human world was almost destroyed and the Earth was cut off from the other planets, when everyone ran to Earth, five people stepped forward—known as the strongest Heroes ever. They became the new light of the human race and managed to push the monster tide away.
But the Aberrant Singularity is the father of monsters, and it would just keep creating more. So they used the strongest equipment ever created by mankind to seal the planet Earth—the System.
But they couldn't create a definite seal. The pressure of the Singularity and its near-endless monster tides would shatter the seal.
So the power of the System was used to create a combination of law and spatial spell that translated to dungeons. That way, the pressure wouldn't be too much on the planet, and humanity would have a way of fighting the monsters.
The keys are artifacts created by dungeons that can temporarily lift the law and seal at a certain place.
Very few have been found in history, but each time one appears, it is given the highest priority and safety until it is destroyed.
Ethan met Severin's eyes. "Just what is a key doing here? It should have been destroyed immediately!"
Severin shrugged. "It is here, and that's that."
Ethan's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "How do you know something like that? If a Headless is here, then it must have a high secrecy level, and knowing about it can even get one eliminated."
Severin shrugged again. "Then I guess you don't tell anyone you know this, since they could cut your head."
Through all this, Derrick was looking at Severin with narrowed eyes as he was reminded of the black market. "You are here for something, aren't you, Severin?"