One month had passed, and rumors about Atticus had spread throughout the camp. Most people had discovered his true identity as the family head's son.
Those who were discerning enough started treating Atticus with respect, hoping to gain his favor. However, a few prideful individuals still held out.
During this time, Atticus had sparred with Ember on several occasions. He had also occasionally joined Nate and Lucas for lunch. Although they weren't yet close enough to be considered friends, their relationship had improved over the course of the month.
After today's training session, Elias informed them to prepare for a change in their morning routine. Nearly all the youths had managed to arrive on time, prompting the instructor to decide that it was time to intensify their training.
Atticus was scheduled to go beast hunting with the squad today.
As he approached the building, he encountered the usual curious gazes from others, but as usual, he paid them no mind.
People had learned not to cross him, and that was satisfactory for him.
He entered the building and found his teammates at the counter.
"Hey Atticus! You're finally here," Sophie greeted him cheerfully as he approached.
"Yeah, sorry I'm late. I lost track of time training," he replied with a small smile.
"You should consider taking it easy, or how will we ever catch up if you continue to grow stronger so rapidly!" Nate exclaimed, a mixture of awe and concern in his voice.
Atticus responded with a smile, seemingly unfazed by Nate's comment. Then, he turned his attention to Helodor, who had been glaring at him intensely throughout the exchange.
'I'll have to deal with him soon.'
Atticus's decision to consistently ignore Helodor stemmed from the fact that he hadn't crossed any major lines. He had simply been fussing over trivial matters and hadn't gone beyond that.
Atticus found it suspicious that he was receiving such treatment. Helodor had suddenly started harboring animosity towards him for no apparent reason. 'It's becoming annoying,' he thought.
While Atticus wasn't one to resort to violence for mere stares, he did have a breaking point. And it was becoming increasingly concerning. 'You'd think he has a crush on me or something,' he mused.
After a brief wait, Hella arrived. She exchanged quick greetings with the squad and then said, "Let's go choose our mission," directing them to the second floor where they could select their assignments.
Hella remained her usual direct and bossy self, though she was cautious in her interactions with Atticus.
Over the past month, Atticus had consistently demonstrated his strength, which left her both shocked and wary, especially after she had learned about his background.
While in the camp, everyone was meant to be equal, anyone with at least a functioning neuron would understand that it wasn't wise to earn the disdain of someone likely to become the heir.
One could only wonder about the thought processes of certain individuals.
Upon reaching the second floor, they encountered a small gathering in front of a large holographic wall.
As they got closer, Atticus recognized one of the individuals – Orion, Sirius's son.
Orion had previously challenged Atticus to a fight and had persistently pestered him after Atticus initially declined. Orion was accompanied by his squad.
As Atticus and the others approached, he couldn't help but notice Orion's smirking expression. 'Not this again,' Atticus thought, fully aware that something foolish was about to transpire, and indeed, it did.
"Hey, if it isn't the coward," Orion quipped, his squad members adding to the provocation by laughing. They were all well aware that Atticus was from the main family, but were relying on Orion to protect them.
'You owe me one, old man,' Atticus thought. His patience was wearing thin, and the only reason Atticus was keeping up with this was because of Sirius.
'Since I can't beat him up, I might as well speak my mind,' Atticus couldn't resist delivering a comeback. "Seems like your father held a different opinion, though. Or were you just more of a coward than I am?"
Orion, infuriated, began to approach Atticus, but Hella blocked his path. "He's a member of my team; you'll have to get through me first," she declared, looking at Orion coldly.
'She should be aware that he can't attack me. Why is she acting this way?' Atticus pondered. Every recruit knew the rule that a higher-year couldn't initiate an attack against a lower-year. Atticus found it strange that she would intervene despite being aware of this rule.
"Move! Do you think your measly 4th rank can challenge me?" Orion replied, taking a step toward Hella.
In response to this, Helodor, Nate, and Sophie stepped forward to support Hella. Even Sophie, who was usually all smiles, was giving Orion a cold stare.
Orion's teammates also moved forward. Just as the situation seemed about to reach a breaking point, an AI voice suddenly resounded from each of their devices.
[Fighting inside the building is prohibited. Punishment will be severe if broken.]
Orion clicked his tongue in annoyance at that message. "Lucky bastards," he muttered. He swiftly selected a mission, and he and his squad left. The situation was defused before it could escalate further.
After they left, Helodor immediately turned to Atticus and placed blame on him, "This is all your fault!"
Atticus narrowed his eyes threateningly, about to take a step towards Helodor, but Nate stepped in, "How is it his fault?" He was growing tired of Helodor constantly seeking trouble.
Helodor appeared ready to respond, but Hella intervened, "Stop, Helodor. It's not important. What matters is that we as a team support each other."
Helodor huffed in response and turned away. After that, Hella quickly selected a mission.
Choosing a mission was straightforward. They were all displayed on a large holographic wall, and all you had to do was enter the mission's serial number on your device.
The wall would then blur out the mission with the label "In progress," and the mission details would be transferred to each teammate's devices.
After picking the mission, they received a notification about the mission details. Atticus decided to check it as they started moving toward the gate.
Their hunt this time was an Arachnix, beast bearing a resemblance to spiders with multiple legs and intricate patterns adorning their robust bodies.
Arachnix had evolved to be masters of the rocky terrain they inhabited. Their legs were adapted for scaling cliffs and navigating narrow crevices, granting them exceptional mobility and agility. The Arachnix they were after was of intermediate rank.
'The most troublesome aspect of an Arachnix is their unique reproductive cycle,' Atticus thought as he ran through the forest.
Arachnix laid their eggs within the protective confines of their cave sanctuaries and could hatch them at any time, using their offspring as a small army.
'200 points each for the hunt and more depending on how many of their offspring we kill. It's no wonder she picked it.' Atticus thought. Although it was obvious, the points awarded for hunts weren't uniform; they varied based on the difficulty of the beast.
'I should have enough points after this hunt to get something useful from the Emporium,' Atticus thought.
He had postponed visiting the Emporium until he had accumulated enough points, and during this past month, he had gathered quite a substantial amount. He decided that it was finally time to pay a visit to the Emporium after this hunt.
As they were running through the forest, Nate glanced back at Atticus, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Atticus, I bet I can kill more Arachnix newborns than you," he challenged, his voice carrying a hint of playful rivalry.
Atticus's lips curled into a knowing smile. "100 points," he responded. 'I won't say no to free points.'
Nate chuckled, his excitement evident. "You're on!" he exclaimed, quickening his pace to take the lead.
"I want in!" Sophie declared, her tone eager as she expressed her desire to join in on the fun.
Atticus chuckled at Sophie's enthusiasm. "Sure, more points for me then."
The response made Helena beam but it was ruined by the clicking of a tongue, Helodor's.
***
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