Chapter 88: Chapter 88

Without another word, he turned and jumped from the stand to greet the four siblings.

Their faces, so familiar, brought a bittersweet tide of nostalgia washing over him.

In his past timeline, before the second war, while struggling alongside Astrid to keep their family afloat, Sokram was kicked out of Kazzah’s team after Kazzah framed him for the loss of their other comrades' lives.

With such a stigma, no one wanted to hire him; he even tried to hunt alone for a time, but he wasn’t nearly strong or talented enough back then, and he almost died several times.

That is when the four siblings came into the picture when Sokram was returning to the city after barely succeeding in a solo hunt.

He passed out on the road leading to town, and they were the ones who found and helped him.

Seeing his struggles and knowing Kazzah’s fame, they decided to give him a chance.

Back then, Sokram was only a Tier 3 Battle Mage, and the four siblings were older and stronger, too.

All of them were Tier 9 around that time, which only showcased their talent.

Reaching that level of cultivation before the age of thirty using a very weak cultivation technique was not something just anyone could do.

Although they treated Sokram with respect, they kept him at arm’s length, maintaining a strictly professional relationship.

Having also been betrayed by others, they found it hard to warm up to him.

It was their mother, who owned the best Tailoring shop in the city, who started to break the ice between them.

She would often invite Sokram to eat with them, which he refused once or twice, but Mrs. Freydis was a hard nut to crack.

But once Sokram, after drinking with them a little too much, became emotional and opened up to them about all that was going on in his life, the ice finally broke.

After that night, the siblings started treating him like a little brother, and Freydis treated him like a son.

She was always packing up meals for him to take back home to share with his crippled mother, his dying grandmother, and his hard-working sister.

A few months before the second war started, they had become the best of friends, friends he was forced to see dying.

While he fled Eversnow, he tried to help them, but arrived too late.

The haunting image of their dying eyes, losing the shine of life, flashed in his mind, drawing his brow into a deep frown.

A voice cut through his daze, shattering the painful memory…

“We are sorry for arriving late, but no need to frown at us like that, little brother. If you want, we can still leave.” Said Frinna, the eldest among the siblings and the leader of their group.

Sokram smiled at them politely, a little embarrassed.

Seeing them again stirred something deep within his heart, both warm and painful.

He'd walked past the small, unassuming house near the slums countless times, its simple wooden door and curtained window betraying nothing of the exquisite craftsmanship within.

Only a select few knew the simple entrance led to Mrs. Freydis's tailor shop.

He'd never found a plausible excuse to knock at their door, as no one in his circle knew about it.

“Sorry, big sis. I’m just a little nervous and was thinking about something else. It’s my first time dealing with a selection screen one, haha.”

Sokram scratched the back of his head and then saluted them with a customary greeting, right fist closed over his heart, “I’m Sokram di Dracony vid Dracnakrid, nice to make your acquaintance.”

“I see, then I apologize for speaking like that, too.” Frinna and her brothers matched his salutation, and she introduced them, “I’m Frinna, these are my three brothers, Thinor, Mujur, and Alinir. Despite the low Tier in our cultivation, I can assure you we are good hunters.”

Sokram nodded, trying to maintain a neutral expression, battling his emotions the same way when he met Luke.

An unbearable urge to embrace his friends almost overwhelmed him, a powerful current he fought to suppress.

This time, he managed to keep his heartbeat in check.

Yet, misinterpreting his nervousness, Hilda's eyes narrowed.

Leona, with a knowing smirk on her lips, nudged Brunhild, whose glare intensified.

Margiory, ever subtle, only shifted a silent judgment in her posture. Their shared thought was a quiet chorus that vibrated in the air: 'That womanizing dragon!'

Oblivious to their silent judgment, Sokram answered the siblings with an honest smile, or the best one he could muster under his emotional turmoil.

“High cultivation wasn’t a requirement on the notice pamphlet, and you will have a chance to show your hunting expertise during the tests. But before that, there are some things you need to know…”

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Sokram began re-explaining everything he had already explained to the crowd.

The siblings nodded, murmured their thanks, and retreated to the back of the hall, careful not to disrupt the order of arrival.

Sokram went to sit beside his Master, who pulled him into a hug. “So, what do you think?”

Leona glanced discreetly at the four siblings.

Sokram smiled teasingly at her, seeing that she was clearly fishing for compliments, “For someone with eyes that sometimes seem better than mine, why did you refuse me the first time I asked you to teach me?”

“Hah, is that a new way of saying: ‘Thank you, Master, for bringing in some very talented hunters my way,’ is it?” Leona teased him back.

“They are young and their cultivation is way above average, despite the obvious flaws in whatever technique they are using to cultivate Aura. But their stance is impeccable, their eyes are clear and honest, and they gave a good first impression of being straightforward and sincere. So, yes! Thank you, Master.”

Sokram, taking advantage of their proximity, gave a peck on her cheek.

“Oh, that’s nice.” Leona teased, locking her arms around his neck, offering her cheek, clearly asking for more kisses.

And Sokram indulged her, kissing her until Hilda, glaring at them, signaled them to cut it out.

Leona released Sokram from her arm-lock, but still teased her friend, “Heh, she's jealous because she knows I’m the best Master in this galaxy.”

“No, Master. You’re the best Master in the whole universe!” Sokram grinned mischievously but did not dare to even glance at his mother.

But despite Hilda’s pouting face, their closeness always warmed her heart.

Margiory, without looking at Sokram, to avoid attracting attention, asked through a voice transmission, “How many do you think will pass the first test?”

Sokram replied the same way, but saying only a single word. “Half.”

While Sokram observed the interactions of the Justiciars.

Those who wanted to change terms would be directed to the left row of chairs, while those who accepted the contract as it was currently written were all directed to sit on the right.

Not to be accused of tricking them, Sokram started calling those seated to the left to see what they wanted changed in the contracts. But also because someone might try to take advantage of their goodwill.

The first person who approached was a human male with an average look, the type who couldn’t hide his true intentions but still thought himself clever.

The man approached the stand with a smug look, clearly underestimating Sokram, and jabbed a finger at the contract. “This set of clauses here says that if you leak my information outside your family, you are to pay me 5000 crowns, and your soul would be cast into the void, right?”

“Correct.” Sokram nodded with a standoffish expression, already expecting some disrespect to come out of the smartass’s mouth.

“But if any of these guys here is hired and becomes blood-bound, wouldn’t that mean they would also count as part of your family?” The man grinned, looking Sokram in the eyes.

Sokram frowned in confusion. “Did you read the contract fully?”

The man nodded, not knowing what Sokram was hinting at.

But all Sokram said was, “Reproved. You can leave.”

Sokram's voice echoed sharply throughout the room.

Silence fell over the hall.

Conversations choked off mid-word, boots scuffed against stone floors as people froze, and every breath seemed to echo louder than before.

All eyes were locked on Sokram and the enraged man standing before him. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveI[F]ire.net

“What? What do you mean?!” the man, enraged, demanded.

Sokram sighed, but still explained, “Even with the Justiciars here, you dismissed their explanation and rushed past them to get to first place in line. This reveals three things about you: First, you lack patience, a deadly sin for a hunter. Second, you lack self-preservation instincts. Anyone with a drop of self-respect after hearing their explanations, even if illiterate, would take it seriously. Which you clearly didn’t.”

Sokram, now looking straight into his eyes, kept his voice clear and firm, “And third, even if you weren’t impatient, and had self-respect. The question you asked reveals a lack of comprehension ability and an obvious way below-average intelligence. And people like that usually cost the lives of their teammates. Thus, reproved. Now leave.”

He pointed to the door, leaving no room for arguments.

Sokram's sharp dismissal stunned many in the crowd.

Those sitting in the chairs in the right row, trying to show their willingness to sign the contract, having recognized the golden opportunity in it, laughed at the troublemaker.

His jaw clenched, veins bulging on his temples, and his hands balled into fists at his sides.

The mocking laughter from the right row sliced through him like a blade, “You fuc…”

Before the man could curse at Sokram, his body shot up, colliding with the ceiling as if he had fallen upward.

The gravitational pressure was so powerful that he could barely even breathe.

A cold dread settled over the room as Margiory, with a wand in hand, turned her gaze to Leona.

Her voice, sweet and melodic, drifted through the sudden silence. "If I disintegrate this worm's body," a chilling smile playing on her lips, "leaving not even a single trace for evidence, do you think the other troublemakers like him would scram?”

The killing intent in her voice caused shivers down every candidate's spine.

Without even waiting for Leona’s reply, chairs scraped back. Boots thudded against marble. The smell of their fear filled the air as forty people bolted like prey sensing a predator.

Only five remained who still had doubts about signing the contracts.

Sokram glanced back at Margiory with a smile, “You can let him go now, Nana. No need to waste more mana on him.”

Margiory nodded and withdrew her spell, and the man dropped face-first on the floor before scurrying away.

Brunhild looked around impatiently, a deep frown etching her face, her voice resonating with authority, "Is there anyone else hired by the Steelhearts among you?"

No one uttered a word.

Sokram smiled, turned to the remaining crowd, and pretended to be embarrassed, “Please, forgive my grandmothers, they are quite protective of me, haha.”

Experienced observers recognized this as a clear show of force, intended to discourage potential spies.

Seeing that even then the five that wanted to discuss changes or seek further clarification remained in the left row, Sokram turned to them and pointed to a male Snow-Elf, Tier 8 Mage, with long red hair, dressed in well-tailored mage robes, “Your question?”

The red-haired mage stepped forward, spine straight despite the tension in the air.

“There’s a clause stating you’ll test our physical, mental, and emotional limits. That’s fair.” He paused, gaze steady. “But what happens if we’re permanently injured? Is there any insurance payment for that?”

Sokram nodded, surprised by the question, and, maintaining a neutral expression, he turned to the crowd, “Anyone want this insurance to be added to your contracts as well? Especially since it’s not guaranteed that you will be contacted even after signing this contract, and knowing accidents can happen.”

For a moment, those sitting in the right row turned silent.

Fingers tapped chair arms, and even the dust seemed to pause midair as Sokram glanced back at the crowd, waiting for anyone else to speak up.

Yet, the four siblings, without much hesitation, raised their hands, asking it to be added to theirs.

Sokram nodded and told them to stand near the stand.

He looked back at the mage, still keeping his expression neutral, “What is your name?”

“Rinan vid Chrystalia, sir.” The mage saluted him politely.

“Nice to make your acquaintance, Sir Rinan. Is there any other doubt you’d like to discuss?” Sokram's tone remained neutral and polite.

“No, sir. That was the only one.” Rinan looked hesitantly, thinking he might have failed a hidden test.

But Sokram only nodded and pointed to the line the four siblings formed, “You can join them.”

Hearing Sokram, another ten people stood up to join, asking if they could join the group near the stand, trying to see if he would show even the slightest hint of approval or otherwise.

Yet, he remained perfectly neutral and polite as he nodded, offering them nothing but a single word: “Sure.”