So, an elder rat ninja?
Ats smiled, intrigued by Kurogasa, the new summon standing before him. At first gnce, Kurogasa appeared immensely capable. His curiosity got the better of him, and he quickly checked the summon’s status.
[Name: Kurogasa]
[Level: 55]
[Strength: 145 | Agility: 317 | Intelligence: 87 | stitution: 89 | Stamina: 150]
[Job: Specialized Fighters]
[Precision Strikes (S) - Rapid Reflexes (S) - Unseen Movement (A) - Dual-Wieldierity (S) - Mind over Matter (A) - Hoarder’s Instinct (A) - Observation Mastery (A)]
Just as he’d expected—three talents rated S! And the rest? All A-rated. This was Kurogasa in his “downgraded” version; who kneerful he could bee as he tio grow?
[Precision Strikes: Kurogasa’s experience gives him an uny ability to hit oints, maximizing the damage of each attack, especially when he is ued.]
[Rapid Reflexes: His agility allows him to dodge most attacks instinctively, making him exceptionally hard to hit in close-quarters bat.]
[Unseen Movement: With a talent for moving without making a sound, Kurogasa blend into his surroundings, slipping away unnoticed even in dangerous areas.]
[Dual-Wieldierity: Skilled in wielding two small ons or using his tail for added strikes, he attack with multiple tools and ons seamlessly.]
Ats hat four of Kurogasa’s talents perfectly plemented his fighting style, particurly his skill in wielding multiple tools and ons.
[Mind over Matter: Even in exhausting ditions, Kurogasa’s mental discipline allows him to push through fatigue, hunger, or injuries better than most, making him a resilient survivor.]
Mind Over Matter, this highlighted his resilient nature as a beastkin rat, giving him an impressive level of survivability that would be invaluable in tough situations.
[Hoarder’s Instinct: Kurogasa has a strong ination to stash small, seemingly useless items he finds iing or shiny, which occasionally makes his pockets cluttered]
Hoarder’s Instinct, well, this one might not be particurly useful in battle.
[Observation Mastery: He notices tiails that others might overlook, from subtle shifts in posture to hidden partments. This allows him to analyze his enemies’ weaknesses or spot hidden traps.]
Observation Mastery, this talent was ideal for his role as a ninja, enhang his perception and making him a formidable scout and strategist.
"Wele to the team, Kurogasa. But please, do me the favor of calling me by my name—just Ats," Ats replied with a nod.
"This is how I show my respey leader, My Lord," Kurogasa responded humbly.
Ats smiled, amused by the Ninja Rat’s formality. He couldn’t help but wonder if this master had other ninja apprentices… like, say, Ninja Turtles?
"Please, joihers," he said, gesturing toward the group.
Karian, Edrik, and Lyrassa stood to wele their new panions, but the highest among them remained seated, legs crossed, watg with an ued expression.
Ats turned back to face the Awakeners, surprised to see that some who had simply been standing before now moved forward, a few even breaking into a run. The o the front dropped to one knee before him.
"Lord Ats, your dispy of greatness has left me in awe. I’m vinced you are destined freatness. Please, accept my loyalty," he pledged early.
Another quickly followed suit, kneeling beside the first. "Lord Ats, please, accept my loyalty too. I’m a trained chef, fully lised. I’ll cook you the best meals you’ve ever had!"
"My Lord, please allow me to serve you as well. I am an archer."
Those further back, still with their hands half-raised, stood frozen, bewildered. Should they, too, decre their loyalty? Doing so would mean pledging themselves fully to the Lord, no longer ag as merely paid meraries.
Five, six, twelve, twenty-seven—all k, oer another, each their devotion.
Ats took a small step back as more and more of them eagerly procimed their loyalty to him. When the number reached thirty, he lifted his hand.
"Please, that's enough," he said.
"My Lord, please, allow me to follow you too," one voisisted.
"Hold on. Listen to me," Ats replied, and they fell silent immediately.
"My isnd is still small, and I don’t yet have enough space to aodate all of you. Remember, this is only my third day. But I promise I’ll tact you again. I’ve kept all of your tracts on record."
"But My Lord," someone pleaded, "I don’t mind sleeping outside if it means I join you!"
"Please, My Lord, allow us.”
Ats raised his right hand once more. "This is my decision," he said firmly. "I’ll bring along the first thirty who pledged their loyalty to me."
With that, he turo leave, meeting Edrik’s gaze as he passed. Edrik gave a respectful bow, ready to mahose who remained.
Ats strode out of the room, followed closely by his subordinates.
He had already assessed most of the thirty who had pledged their loyalty. Ats khat at least seventy pert of them were reasonably skilled in their roles. As for the rest? Well, he respected the quiess with which they’d chosen to follow him.
Life as an Awakener had always been a brutal path. They had made their choice: to either scrape by on the lower nds as on Awakeners or to serve under a lord on the Floating Isnds. Fighting to secure their pd risking their lives was the only option avaible to them.
If they were willing to work hard, and with the right support from him, Ats was fident they could all grow into something formidable.
Not bad—thirty new recruits without spending a single gold . Well, ly without cost. Those who pledged loyalty accepted smaller gold payments, but they received rewards in other forms: a share of the spoils, gear upgrades, Exp Orbs, skill scrolls, and the like. It art of the Lord’s responsibility to help them grow, because, after all, they would bee his strength.
Now the real challenge was finding a way to house them all, as the single Residential Hut he owned wasn’t nearly enough for the whole group.
It looked like he’d o build more as soon as he got back.
With this, he could put off building the Gateway Altar for a bit. He’d spend at least one night in this city… and maybe the day too… to enjoy what it had to offer. Holy, having a bit of fun couldn’t hurt. It would also give him a ce tthen his bond with his subordinates.
Good bondi a stroeam, after all.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what Mira to up there. Who knew, maybe she’d surprise him with another ued beor? Free resources were always wele.
Ats came to a halt, prompting the others to stop as well. They were still in the lobby of the Awakener Associatioer. He turned directly toward Manna, who met his gaze with a look that seemed to say, What do you want?!
“You remember that floating bike from this afternoon. The Dune Phantom?” he asked casually.
Karian caught on immediately, bowing slightly before heading off. Lyrassa, too, gave a small bow and followed behind Karian.
“Feel free to float, it’s all right,” he called after her.
Lyrassa nodded and lifted herself gracefully into the air, floating ahead to catch up with Karian.
“What do you want?” Manna said.
"I got access to the Dune Phantom… No, actually, I have one now," Ats replied. "And… They told me this city has an amazing view from above."
Ats had received the Dune Phantom as a gift from the Awakener Association. Why were they being so generous? It seemed this was their way of building good retions with promising Lords.
“Flying isly o me.”
“Well, they also have incredible ice cream at the top of the tallest building iy, and the view from up there is supposed to be… divine,” he added, this time with a slight smile.
Manna stayed silent for a moment, as did Ats. The quiet standoff between them began to draw curious gnces from the people nearby.
“Hey, isn’t that the new lord who’s been recruiting everyone?”
“Yeah, but who’s the woman with him? She’s… wow. So Hot!”
“She’s his summon.”
“No way! I wish I could summon someone like that.”
After a few seds, Manna broke the silence. "I’m only going for the ice cream."
"Good enough," he replied, smiling at her response.
Suddenly, Edrik’s words echoed in his mind, as if whispered right in his ear: “Ats, treat her well. Remember, she’s your first wife.”
Damn it, Edrik, shut up!
