152 Mysterious Founder (1/2)

The room the had entered looked to be some sort of conference room, but it was different. Instead of a single table with chairs, there was one main table by the far wall with a few people seated in the middle of a single side. Closer to the door were a few dozen chairs and desks. Also, there were many seats along the walls, as if they were meant to have an audience.

Only about a dozen seats were filled, but Wain took them to the side instead. Trying to figure out what was going on, Jack followed Advisor Wain and sat by the wall.

Since he had nothing needing his attention at the moment, Jack opened up his system notifications. The blaring red notification filled his view and Jack's jaw almost went slack.

[Attention: Fellow champion found!]

Those few words were like a bomb going off in his head. The last thing he had expected to happen was to encounter one of the other two champions. And he was still too weak! If the champion was someone in that conference room, it was obvious that they were stronger than Jack.

Jack put his Eagle Eye to the test, hoping he might find some clue as to who the other champion was.

Looking over everyone, Jack learned that the weakest person in the room was Zariff, other than himself. To Jack's surprise, there were almost three people seated in those desks, and they were all at least lv. 46, some were even in the high fifties!

Eventually, Jack finished with the people in the desks and looked to the table. There were thirteen men sitting there, and they were easily the strongest in the room. Jack made sure to take a mental note of each of them to remember their faces well.

The seating was determined by strength. In the desks, the weakest people sat the farthest from the table. At the table, those on the end were all lv. 60 or higher.

After counting nine people over lv. 60, Jack found that the four people at the table's center were unfathomable. Even with his Eagle Eye, Jack had no way to read them.

Knowing that determined that one of them was the champion that his system warned him about. By following the rule that they were seated according to strength, Jack determined that the man at the center was the strongest there and most likely the mysterious founder he had always heard rumors about.

While Jack was busy guessing what how strong those four people might be, Zariff was frozen in place as he stared at the panel of people at the table.

When he became a branch chief, he had met a few regional advisors, such as Advisor Wain. The strongest of those he met was lv. 52. At the time, he was blown away and awestruck to meet someone so strong. But now… Zariff didn't know what to think.

A few minutes passed and those at the table finished their discussion. The room got quiet and the man at the center of the table turned to Wain, Zariff, and Jack with a warm smile.

”Come, we've finished with the other matter. Now, it's time to discuss a few things with you both.”

The man looked middle-aged with a salt and pepper beard. He wore a majestic golden robe that made him appear to glow with boundless energy. Jack could tell that he wasn't a warrior, but a terrifyingly powerful mage.

Wain nodded shyly and stood up. ”Thank you, Founder.”

He led Jack and Zariff to the front of the room, just to the side of the main table. After that, he took his own seat at a desk in the back since he was only lv. 47.

”First, let's discuss the matter involving Branch Chief Zariff,” stated the founder. ”Please, step forward.”

As Zariff complied and stood before the panel, a man at one end of the table spoke up, ”Branch Chief Zariff, it is to our knowledge that you have now dropped in level from 36 to 35, correct? And how is that so, please tell us?”

”A few months back I completed an assignment for the man who was later revealed as a member of the Chaos Syndicate. During that mission, I ended up poisoned and cursed. If I remain uncured of the poison, I'll die within a year and even sooner if I'm forced to fight. The more strength I use, the closer I am to dying.”

One of the mysterious men beside the founder squinted and asked. ”Can I have a sample of your blood, please?” He then tossed a small vial to Zariff.

”Um… sure.” Zariff retrieved a small knife and made a tiny cut on one of his fingertips. After putting a few drops in the vial, Zariff tossed it back and wrapped up his finger.