novelraw Chapter 105 : Chapter 105
Chapter 105 : Chapter 105
Chapter 105 : Recruitment
Sal stared intently at Anthony, who was sitting in front of him, completely changed.
The timid and awkward demeanor of someone seemingly dragged to the Academy against his will was nowhere to be found.
His eyes sparkled, and words poured incessantly from his mouth.
As he fired off words like a rapid-fire gun, as if trying to explain everything at once, Sal hurriedly raised his hand to cut him off.
"Wait, Anthony... What on earth is a frequency?"
Sal couldn't understand the word that popped out or the context at all.
Realizing that Sal didn't understand him, Anthony smiled awkwardly with an apologetic expression and began to explain slowly once more.
"Um, so... A Tracker usually interprets Essence signals, right?"
Anthony paused for a moment, waiting for Sal to nod.
Divinity was eating, and Barry was constantly scrolling through his tablet screen, quietly listening to their conversation.
Anthony pointed his finger at the ceiling.
"Before Essence became widespread, people mainly used old technology. I mean radio waves that transmit messages in real-time. I want to make a Tracker that can capture that kind of information, a device that can listen to those old frequencies!"
His smile was infectious, and Sal even felt sorry for bombarding him with questions.
In fact, his words didn't easily resonate with Sal, so he wanted to know why Anthony was so hung up on this project.
"What is that useful for, exactly?"
Anthony waved his arms wide, gesturing in the air.
As his hand headed toward Barry's head, Barry reflexively flinched and shrank back.
"I have an old radio in my room. It's quite an antique, and I almost broke it trying to use a Core instead of batteries... But sometimes when it works, I can hear someone talking! There are people somewhere in the world still communicating with old technology. Aren't you curious? About what they're talking about."
Anthony continued speaking without waiting for Sal's reaction, not even taking a moment to catch his breath.
"Think about it! Since the outbreak of the war, it became impossible for advanced technologies like our Essence and Core tech to spread outside the Reclaimed Zones. In other words, people still using old channels might be survivors remaining in the Red Zone. They might be fending off monster attacks and using it as a means of communication! If we can hear their voices or contact them directly, we could even let them know our location."
Barry sighed and shot a sharp glare at Anthony.
"Do you really think no one has tried that? There's an entire R&D facility on this campus. They must have looked for every possible way to communicate with the outside. You think one broken radio will make a difference? It's an interesting idea, but it's a dead end. And I don't think Sal is needed for such a project."
Far from being discouraged, Anthony turned his body to face Barry directly.
"That's not true! They're probably trying to prevent students from listening to sound waves coming from old technology. And Sal can make a Tracker that can bypass such jammers!"
At that, Divinity pricked up her ears.
Like Barry, she seemed to agree with Anthony's words with a skeptical smile.
"Jammers? Saying that makes you sound a bit crazy. There are heroes who specialize in communication or PR. There are departments like that in the Academy, government agencies, and the military. It makes no sense for such a grand conspiracy to be happening here."
Sal looked back and forth between Barry and Divinity, siding with them.
Since everyone said so, he thought Anthony would give up.
But Anthony laughed and shook his head as if they didn't properly understand the situation.
"The reason they block those channels is because they are mainly used by Bastion. Their manifestos are constantly being broadcast. If you turn on an old television, all the channels are Bastion broadcasts. All the broadcasts you grew up watching came from a carefully selected list of programs. But the original footage is much more political and sharply criticizes the current system. One thing is certain: we are people who need to be protected, not passengers comfortably aboard the Darwin Cruise Liner. You can't know the truth until you've heard both sides of the story. So, we must make a communication Tracker."
Anthony's desperate tone became almost pleading, and Sal was suddenly overcome with uncomfortable feelings.
Sal had never even heard the name Bastion before entering the Academy.
However, over the past month, that name had been constantly flowing from here and there.
While everyone wore surprised expressions, Barry noticed the second-year students across the table still staring blankly at him.
With a light flick of his wrist, the green rune characters activated once again, trapping their small group inside a distorted shield.
Sal realized he could discern almost nothing beyond the faint dome-shaped barrier.
All noise from the cafeteria vanished instantly, finally guaranteeing them complete privacy.
Barry let out a deep sigh, straightened his chair, and looked at everyone with a cautious expression.
"Has anyone here been approached directly by Bastion?"
Divinity almost burst into a playful giggle, but upon facing Barry's serious expression, she hesitated with her mouth slightly open and shook her head.
Her gaze also turned slightly toward Sal.
This time, Sal followed Divinity and shook his head.
But his gaze remained fixed on Barry.
"Were you approached directly by Bastion? I thought they all reigned from the sky above."
Barry exhaled slowly and tapped the table with his hand once more.
"Yesterday, some second-year Controllers approached me and asked if I had any intention of joining a club. It was suspicious, but the benefits were so attractive that it was hard to refuse. The condition was that if I passed the test, they promised rapid growth and financial support from an external guild. They didn't ask for detailed information or names, just gave a glimpse of how my future might unfold."
Barry tilted his head and continued.
"On the surface, it looked like an ordinary club, and the tasks were quite simple. Probably intended to build trust."
Sal frowned and asked.
"Then how are you sure they are Bastion? They didn't even ask for specific information, so how could you know?"
Instead of answering, Barry raised his left arm, making it disappear from sight, then smiled and stylishly revealed it again.
"They didn't directly say they were from Bastion, but I used my ability to secretly tail them. It was quite easy."
Barry shrugged and placed two fingers on the table, moving them slowly to mime secretly following someone.
"Within minutes, they started talking about candidates on the list. They seemed to be targeting people around the top ranks with useful abilities. Looking at the names mentioned, they didn't seem to touch anyone from 1st to 80th place. They're recruiting people from the beginning of the semester, tempting them with promises that if they join us, they can enter the Savior Class."
Divinity widened her eyes and asked.
"Who? Since I know everyone in the Savior Class, tell me who they targeted."
Barry frowned briefly as he searched his memory.
Snapping his fingers and raising his eyebrows, he pointed at Divinity.
"Dazzler. A Body Manipulator from another cohort. He stayed in the mid-range ranks because he practically carried his team alone in the mounted combat. Guess he didn't have any fans to bring him recovery drinks."
Barry looked meaningfully at Sal and frowned again.
"They probably approached Victoria from our cohort too. They talked about a girl with mind control abilities; it could be Erica, but that wouldn't fit the ranking rule I mentioned earlier."
At that moment, Anthony cleared his throat lightly to make his presence known.
When everyone turned their eyes to him, he seemed a bit flustered.
It seemed he simply needed to cough.
"Uh, it seems they are only targeting Controllers?"
Divinity nodded, and her eyes turned a cloudy white.
Sal exhaled deeply, looking back and forth between Barry and Divinity.
"Okay, let's say that's true. But is Bastion such a bad group? I know Sinclair hates them, but from what I know, wasn't it just propaganda? Do they actually have that much influence on the ground?"
Just as Anthony's eyes lit up and he was about to speak, Barry cut him off first.
"They hold more powerful influence than any other faction in the city. I guarantee more than half of the Doom Council members are in league with Bastion. They are cold-blooded scumbags who only care about their own interests. Just look at the behavior of the Reclamation Guilds. Do you know where the priority zones for barrier expansion are, and which areas we put the most effort into pushing? It's exactly where the mansions, the private properties of Bastion members, are lined up. Those bastards are directing everything from the sky. Mobilizing all the power they possess."
Divinity shook her head.
Sal noticed her blue eyes had returned.
Divinity bit her lip and looked at Barry.
"Right, Darren Lenihan... Hero name Dazzler. He will be in the Savior Class by the end of the semester. Anyone else? Anyone come to mind? It could just be a coincidence! Body Manipulators are rare due to aptitude and versatility, so Dazzler might have passed on his own merit. Victoria... if she properly understood her power to control both men and women, she would have had a much greater chance of taking a Savior spot. It could just be a coincidence."
Sal grew worried at the increasing urgency in Divinity's voice.
‘Am I the only one who doesn't properly understand the seriousness of Bastion?’
Turning his gaze to Anthony, the bearded man was fidgeting with his fingers nervously.
Realizing he wasn't contributing much to this conversation, Sal tried a different approach.
"Anthony, what exactly do you want to make? Like a device for listening to frequencies?"
Even as he spoke, the thought crossed his mind that it was a foolish question, but Anthony nodded vigorously and smiled brightly.
"Yeah! That's the first step."
As Barry recited names one after another, Divinity's complexion grew uncontrollably pale.
Divinity's eyes went empty again, struggling to grasp any clues related to Bastion, but judging by the sighs escaping her lips, there seemed to be no clear gain.
Sal wanted to find something helpful to do, but amidst the ceaseless conversation, he only felt his helplessness keenly.
Just as he realized his mind had become hazy and started to feel apologetic, he realized Anthony was still saying something to him.
"That would be amazing! No, I don't care even if it's Common rank! As long as it works, I can boost its performance enough with my ability."
Anthony moved his hands, explaining his idea passionately.
Lifting his gaze to meet Sal's eyes, he smiled brightly and continued.
"Sorry, I guess I got too excited! This is the first step in building a command center, and the rest will flow naturally like water. Once I complete the basic crafting and analysis subjects, I can start Essence programming too. From then on, I'll be able to create much bigger changes."
Countless questions arose in Sal's mind, but there was no right answer to any of them.
He forced a smile, but shrank back, realizing anew how ignorant he was about the world.
The last words Anthony said only sank into his brain after a few seconds had passed.
"Would it be more helpful if I made a Tracker with crafting abilities? Something that lets you see blueprints and stuff."
Sal cautiously suggested the idea, as it would be time-consuming and he didn't want to take on a project for just one person.
He judged that a Crafting Tracker equipped with a scaled-down version of his Mythos Crafter ability would not only have high potential for commercial success but also be of great help to other students.
Seeing Anthony's blank expression, he knew his thought had hit the mark.
Divinity finally woke from her vision and covered her face with both hands.
"Phew, it's no use. I can't find a single clue related to Bastion. Barry, if you're right, this must be the best-kept secret in the Academy."
Divinity straightened up and looked at Barry.
"Right, the best-kept secret was your ability. You never revealed it once while at the Academy."
Barry looked at Divinity with curious eyes and said.
"Honestly, I'm a bit anxious about where this conversation is heading."
Divinity waved her hand and retorted.
"No, I don't mean it like that. We trust you. But it's also true that you're a good liar!"
Barry stared intently at Divinity and smiled.
"Go on... I intend to do it anyway, but I want to hear it from your own lips."
Divinity sighed and made a pained expression.
"You have to accept their offer and infiltrate Bastion."