Devourer System : Infinite Paths

Nero pulled his hood down to make sure his face could not be directly seen before he joined the line to claim the bounty while silently looking around to see the workings of the adventurers' guild.

The first floor was only for F-rank adventurers, the lowest of the bunch, so the quests and conversations on the floor were not very interesting. However, in all the everyday talk, there were also a few who discussed bigger, more thrilling matters.

So, the moment he found something of interest, Nero's ears perked up, and he listened intently as it involved the man chosen by a system.

"Did you hear about the new chosen?" A young man in his early twenties, with a well-built physique and adorned in light armor, asked his friend seated to his left.

"The entire city did, as the governor made sure of it, how that nobody got lucky and rose from being the son of a coal mine worker, destined to be nobody, to a Knight, a Noble ranked a step higher than even our city Governer,"

"Tcch, Lucky Bastard," The man cloaked in a teal-colored robe clicked his tongue in anger, his voice laced with disappointment and jealousy.

"If you are this pissed by knowing a system chose him, then you might go on a rampage knowing how Irwin Keat not only acquired an Apex grade system but also a strong one," The armored man said, the silence stretching as he watched his friend become angrier by the moment.

"I don't know what system he awakened, but I do know that he was chosen by the Ferridorn House, becoming one of their permanent family members, so he did not just gain the title of Noble Knight, he also became a part of the true Nobility,"

"So yeah, he is a truly lucky bastard," The knight said, chuckling, but from his carefree attitude, it was clear that he understood how rare it was and that no one could do anything about it.

Nero was not one bit surprised by the lucky individual getting chosen as a family member of the Ferridorn House, because it was common knowledge that 75% of the chosen who awakened an Apex grade system became members of one of the eleven Royal families.

It was not because they were forced to but because the benefits one could receive by becoming a Royal were hard to count, and only those with few screws loose or with much greater ambition dared not to join one of the families.

The world of Tessrak had three continents, which were known by many names, but they were commonly known as the Human Continent, the Elven Paradise, and the Beast Warland.

The Human Continent was governed by a single empire known as the Elysian Coalition. The empire was composed of eleven noble families, each wielding equal power, with the exception of the family to which the Emperor belonged, which held a dominant position above the rest.

Each noble family represented a specific domain of power and influence and had complete control over it. For example, the Ferridorn House had complete control over all matters related to the Military and Defense of the Empire.

The Virdalor Clan controlled Agriculture and Resources, the Tenebralis Family controlled Espionage and Intelligence, and the Mercarion Group ruled over Trade and Merchants.

The House Aetherion Solis was the family to whom the Emperor belonged, and it has been like that since the creation of the Empire many centuries ago, even though any Noble or commoner could challenge the Emperor for his position after meeting fairly simple conditions.

The two friends continued their conversation about their work, and Nero moved on to listen to other interesting information, finding a great deal of information about the current events of the city of Verdora and the surrounding area.

It took close to an hour before his turn came. He was greeted by the female receptionist with bright blue eyes and matching hair, the result of a fairly rare elementation mutation.

"Sir, How can I help you," She asked with a professional smile.

"I'm here to claim a bounty," Nero said before placing the leather bag on the counter, the unmistakable metallic scent of blood leaking from its seams. 

The bag's twisted shape made its contents obvious to anyone familiar with bounty work, and as he expected, she didn't flinch. Her eyes flickered to the bag, then back to Nero, her professionalism unshaken by the cruelty inside.

"Understood, sir. Just give me a minute, and I will have the contents verified immediately," She said as she stood up and swept up the bag with practiced efficiency before turning on her heel toward the back room. 

The only sound that followed her exit was a faint click of the door. Moments later, she returned, now holding a small cloth pouch.

"Your bounty has been confirmed, and, as promised, eight gold for the leader and an additional one gold for his two accomplices." She said, her voice low as a whisperer, as she placed the coins on the counter before him.

Nero picked up the pouch without hesitation, weighing it briefly in his hand before securing it in one of his pockets, before smiling at her ready to take his leave.

"Before you go, sir, might I interest you in joining the Adventurer's Guild?" she asked, forcing him to stop.

"For just ten gold coins, you would have access to more lucrative bounties, guild support, and resources without any hindrance to your freedom," She said, understanding that since Nero did not hand her badge to scan, either he was not an Adventurer or simply did not wish to be associated with the bounty.

"Not today," Nero replied, shaking his head, knowing all his wealth was slightly more than thirty gold, and he needed every penny to get the resources Draven wanted.

"Very well," She nodded, maintaining her composed smile. "Thank you for your service, and best of luck on your future endeavors."

Nero offered a slight nod of acknowledgment, turned around, and quickly left the guildhall, the door closing quietly behind him as he melted back into the city streets.

He asked for directions once more and made his way to a magic item shop, eager to get the things and learn how they would get the Primordial grade system.

Nero stepped into the shop, the sharp chime of the doorbell cutting through the air as the door closed behind him. Inside, the place buzzed with activity as adventurers and ordinary people shopped for what they wanted.

He first went to the common adventurer accessary area, buying the best common-grade mask he could find, a dark, faceless mask made of beast bone that cost him eight silver. Then, he got a dark hooded robe made of crystal spider silk, its edges embroidered with silver patterns. 

The next thing he bought was a good-looking set of clothes, spending four gold coins and eighty silver coins, leaving him with twenty-five gold coins, which he needed to buy the rare-grade crystal-tip rune pen.

'This is the most expensive set of cloaths that I have worn, but I do look great in them,' Nero said with a grin, admiring his reflection in the mirror. 

Nero wore a sleek, layered outfit consisting of a dark overcoat, a fitted tunic, and a high-collared shirt. 

The overcoat was long and fastened with silver metallic buckles that ran down the front in a neat row. The tunic underneath was deep midnight blue, layered with reinforced leather sections resembling enchanted armor plates yet appearing sleek and refined.

The cuffs and lapels of his suit were lined with silver lines, glowing faintly, making them stand out. His pitch-dark trousers were tailored to perfection, flowing seamlessly into high, polished boots.

While Nero liked the outfit, he was far from comfortable spending nearly five gold, a year's worth of his savings, on attire that would be useless after a few rugged experiences in the wild. However, since his older self told him to buy it, he did it without any hesitation.

After admiring his outfit for a few minutes, he made his way to the second floor, where all the rare-grade accessories could be found, and after a quick look around, he discovered the rune pen section.

Nero finally chose a dark rune pen that appeared to be intricately crafted from wood. It was about eight inches long and had a small crystalline tip that emitted a faint glow as it reacted to the surrounding mana.

'I still have two gold coins left, so do you think I should use them to buy a good sword?' Nero asked, happy that the store owner gave him a discount and saved him a few gold coins.

'Just secure a hotel room, so I can complete preparation for the first step,' Draven answered, not bothering to share any further.

'At least tell me what you plan to do,' Nero asked, fully expecting the usual silence. 

However, to his surprise, the old man actually answered this time, but as the words sounded in his mind, Nero couldn't help but wonder if he would have been better off staying in the dark.

'We are going to extort every penny the governor could offer,' Draven answered, and Nero could feel a hint of amusement in his voice.