Chapter 30- The Zaibatsu Corporation

Arthur tried his best to keep the excitement out of his face at the mention of a monster core. And he would receive one just by considering their offer. He didn't even have to agree to do anything. Arthur was ecstatic with the luck life seemed to be favouring him with.

Remembering all the reasons he had to be cautious, however, Arthur quickly got his raging emotions under control and schooled his racing thoughts.

Julia meanwhile, was observing Arthur's face to observe how he reacted to the mention of the rare item. With no changes in his expression forthcoming though, she could only sigh in defeat. Of course, he wouldn't know what a monster core was. Though witnesses at the Rodent fight had seen him pocket something from the king's corpse.

The American government currently had thirty-two in their possession, and they were losing their shit trying to find out what could be done with one of the only ‘Rare’ rated items that had been found to date.

Scientists had speculated that they could be made into magical bombs of some sort, but the government was obviously a little leery in experimenting with such unknown energies. Not that it had stopped them though, a tragedy that had claimed the life of seven researchers. Well. At least the kid didn't seem to know any more than them.

“I see that you don't seem to know what a monster core is. All I can tell you is that it's one of the few items that have been found that possesses a rare rating. Beyond that, I can't tell you much more, except that it's in your best interests to at least go and see what the Zaibatsu corporation wants from you. They're being sold for upwards of 200,000$ on the market.”

Arthur agreed with her, but he didn't want to seem too eager to the government official and give away his desire to accrue monster cores.

“Well, I’m not too sure. If you can't even tell me what it does, I’m not sure I should take the risk of meeting with a potentially hostile group.” Arthur said and smiled when he saw that it had the desired effect on the woman.

Julia panicked when she heard of Arthur's reluctance. She absolutely couldn't take no for an answer and had been ordered to use any means necessary to secure the young healer’s cooperation.

ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Her superiors had informed her that the corporation had already sent a car to pick up the healer in question, and Julia didn't want to get in trouble for fucking up the entire negotiations by not getting Arthur on her side. This entire conversation was a farce to show the boy he had some control.

“The government will of course reimburse you, for taking such a great task upon yourself,” she lied quickly between her teeth. They would do no such thing, but Julia was certain she could pull a few strings to make sure something made its way into Arthur's hands.

“What kind of reimbursement are we talking about?” He asked greedily, trying to milk the woman for all she was worth.

Julia gritted her teeth before replying.

“We have noticed that you don't have any of the appropriate equipment to go monster hunting properly, and so have decided to give you the items and weaponry you feel most comfortable with using in combat. Things our greatest scientists have created using enchantments learned in the tutorial.”

Julia sank deeper and deeper into her web of lies with every word she spoke, and she could only hope that she could deliver on her promises.

“Well,” Arthur said slowly, starting to pity the poor woman a little. She was only trying to do her job. “How can I refuse to meet them when offered such a lucrative deal?”

Julia sighed in relief when she heard Arthur’s agreement. “So, when do I meet them?” He asked.

His boss quickly glanced down at her wristwatch.

“Well, they’ve sent a car ahead of time to pick you up. They should be arriving within twenty minutes.”

Arthur felt his heart sink a little when he heard Julia’s words. He hadn’t wanted it to be true, but her statement confirmed Arthur’s suspicions that the American government had already decided to sell his services without his consent. I never really had a choice, to begin with, did I, he thought wryly. Or at least he wouldn’t have if he was a simple healer, but that was a word that didn’t quite encapsulate all that Arthur was.

He promised himself that he’d remember this slight in the future interactions he had with them. They seemed to not respect his boundaries, treating him like a naive child, one that could be used and abused, and whilst Arthur was indeed young, he was not stupid. They wanted everything he was.

He would give it to them.

Deciding to let it slide, for now, he tried to get his racing emotions under control.

“I’ll be waiting in the staff room for them. Please inform me when they arrive.”

Julia winced at how formal Arthur was being and knew that the young man had realised that he never really had much of a choice in this matter in the first place; that the government had made the decision for him.

There went all the goodwill she'd managed to build up with him. “Don't worry, I’ll make sure you get some top-of-the-range equipment as soon as possible.” Julia quickly said to his retreating back, trying to patch up the mess as much as possible. Arthur stopped and turned around. He smiled, but it never reached his eyes. He looked cold and calculating, nothing like the cheerful, often childish young man Julia had come to know through her secret observations.

That was not how a nineteen-year-old should look. Julia kept her thoughts to herself, however.

I guess the investigations on him weren’t all false then.

For the first time, Julia felt the pressure that so many others had complained Arthur exerted on his surroundings.

The air seemed to become colder, the shadows longer and she felt like she was breathing in oil, unable to respirate properly. No, it really had gotten colder, she realised in fear. She wasn't just imagining things. Her breath frosted in the air, sharp and painful. What the fuck was going on!

Though the room was now freezing, Julia was sweating buckets, and she could feel her heart palpitating madly in her chest. For the briefest of moments, she wasn’t looking at Arthur. She wasn’t even looking at a human. She was looking at a monster.

A beast that seemed to be made from shadows stood in his place and looking at it made her feel like an insignificant bug. It was... arrogance made manifest, the absence of existence. Arthur’s words broke her out of the terrifying illusion.

His voice almost seemed robotic, lacking all emotions, dispassionate.

"Don't worry. I always collect on my debts.”

He walked out of her office, leaving behind a terrified Julia shivering on her chair. It took a few minutes for the government official to get her bearings back, and when she finally did, she slumped forward onto her desk.

“Well, fuck!” Julia cursed.

The government had just made a very, very big mistake. She too had made a grave error, one far greater than those above her. How hadn't she realised that he was so powerful? Arthur was not someone she wanted as an enemy and she knew that they’d been underestimating the boy, no, the man all along.

He was a real monster. Julia would make sure to remember that fact in any future interactions she had with him. She just hoped that she could somehow reconcile with Arthur. The government couldn't afford to lose someone like him. But still, what was all that? Had she been hallucinating?

It had been ten minutes since Arthur had left Julia’s office and he sat in the staffroom in silence. Frank had left it a short while after him, and so he had the room to himself. Arthur was angry.

At himself.

Did I actually threaten a government official? He knew that he’d been frustrated with the government’s callous treatment, but he knew it was wrong to take out that anger on Julia. It wasn't fair. She had just been following orders, and he wasn't prepared to handle the consequences of making an enemy of her and the people she represented.

At least not yet.

Well, there was nothing he could really do about it now except make sure that he didn't lose his cool in the future. Otherwise, one day he might risk offending the wrong person and pay a price he couldn't afford.

Arthur sighed wearily. Julia had said that someone would come and pick him up in twenty minutes. Half that time had already passed by, but he still had ten minutes to kill. Arthur started to reminisce on the times when he was the only human being left on Earth.

Arthur hadn’t thought he’d ever miss those lonely days, but everything just seemed so much more simple back then. He’d had no manipulative governments to worry about, no idiots to deal with, and no scheming poison bitches. Just himself and his goal to survive.

Still, he was glad that he wasn't the only human around anymore, if only for the fact that he wasn't starved of conversation. In the two weeks since the system arrived on Earth, he had come a long way, both in levels and skills and Arthur decided to use his remaining waiting time to call up his status and check just how far that was.

Arthur Ward

level 39

Unallocated stat points: 0

Strength- 110 (100)

Vitality- 160*

Endurance- 50

Constitution- 182(140)

Agility- 118

Intelligence- 323

Willpower- 190

Charisma- 95

Health- 3200/3200 (352(160)/hours)

Ether- 3150/3230 (323/hour)

Stamina- 500/500 (50/minute)

Skills:

Shadow-

Shadow manipulation level-2

Shadow Drain (passive) level-1

Water-

Water manipulation level 4

Healing-

Regeneration [Uncommon] level-1

Soul-

Soul Infusion level-1

General skills-

Identify level-4

Due to the fact that Arthur had not been levelling up at all in the past week, his stats were now probably a little more normal compared to the average found on Earth, but still absurd for his current level. Who am I kidding? They're fucking insane. At least he was pretty sure that was the case.

He had no idea how strong someone would be if they were born on an already evolved planet to level 300 parents. Would they be born stronger than I am now?

Still, Arthur wasn't one to complain, and he would work with the already numerous advantages he had to achieve his goals. His mental stats had actually managed to jump ahead of his physical ones after consuming the Rodent King’s monster core despite his favouring of the latter, something he had decided to stop doing for the next few level-ups.

It wasn’t like he’d be reviving his sister until he was significantly stronger than he was currently if it was at all possible but Arthur knew he'd need to be a master of Ether to even consider it. As he was contemplating his future, the nurse working as Julia’s personal assistant popped her head into the staffroom.

“Miss Addams is calling for you, Arthur.” She spoke formally.

Arthur just nodded his head and made his way through the now familiar corridors of the hospital before stopping at the entrance of the room he had left seventeen minutes ago. Remember Arthur, no stupid shit, he commanded himself. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

The office looked exactly the same as he had left it, with the desk and its owner still in their respective positions. The only change was the addition of a woman dressed in a stiff grey suit.

Everything about her screamed professionalism; from the way she stood with perfect posture, to the way she appraised him quickly, even in the way she had perfectly got down the smile that said, ‘I’m only doing this because it’s my job, but no, I actually don't like you at all.’

Arthur immediately found himself liking her. Professional at least he could handle.

She held her hand out for him to shake, and Arthur quickly identified the woman as he reached out his own. She frowned when he did so, and Arthur carefully noted that the woman seemed to have a method to feel the skills usage on her. And if she did, then Arthur was almost certain that her superiors could also do so. He would definitely not be using the Identify skill willy-nilly in the near future.

Still, Arthur was shocked by the amount of pressure the woman exerted on his hand, despite what the description of her had told him. His hand would have been crushed to paste if he had the actual stats of level 39, which she SHOULD have been expecting from him.

The woman's smile became genuine for a moment when she noticed Arthur’s obvious discomfort. Bitch, he thought, quickly renewing his initial impression of her, but he made no move to pull his hand back, instead choosing to return the woman's gesture with his own impressive 110 stats in strength.

The woman's smile quickly became a look of confusion, and finally a grimace of pain as she gingerly extracted her hand from his. Julia, who had seen the entire exchange, was shocked. How the hell had Arthur done that? The woman was 40 levels above him for god's sake. Was he really not human?

Human level 79- This individual possesses both great physical combat capabilities as well as an impressive skill level in magic.

Arthur carefully observed the Zaibatsu woman and the smile quickly returned to her face, this time much more genuine.

“So it seems the intelligence we gathered on you wasn't wrong after all. I must be honest, I was a little sceptical when I first heard of the healer that defeated a Rodent King almost twice his level. And an infected one at that, but it seems like you actually live up to all those tall tales,” she said.

“The name's Selena Williams by the way.” She quickly added. Arthur looked wearily at the woman before returning her smile. Okay, maybe she isn’t a complete bitch. She expected me to be able to endure her grip strength. Still, I'm pretty sure she wanted to see e squirm.

“And I’m Arthur Ward, but of course, you already knew that,” he said, trying to keep some of the acidity from his voice.

“Well as I’m sure Mrs Addams has already told you.” Selena began, “As a thank you for already accepting our request, I’ve been given this monster core to reward you with.” She continued, reaching into her handbag to pull something out.

Arthur had accepted no such request and he glared at Julia Addams to show his displeasure. She was staring at the wall and trying to look as nonchalant as possible as if that would somehow make her fade into the background. If Selena noticed anything, she didn't show it.

In fact, Arthur realised he’d been too naive about this whole situation. He’d believed he was important, but now Arthur realised that the actual deal here would be taking place between the government and the Zaibatsu organisation, and he was just an unruly child that would need to be placated in the process.

The government seemed to think they could just sell his services without his consent and throw him some scraps like he was a dog that needed a little training. Maybe he had gotten a little big-headed, maybe he had started lowering his guard a little, but that did not warrant this sort of treatment from the government.

“Aha, here it is,” Selena exclaimed, pulling out a glowing dark green orb from her bag.

Arthur identified the tantalizing core and came to a decision. It wasn’t an easy one.

Augmented Regeneration core- Taken from a beast that had great Regenerative abilities, this core now possesses a portion of that strength. A great treat for any growing monster

Once Arthur read the description, he briefly considered not saying what he had planned and sticking to the path that the government had laid out for him before he reaffirmed his resolve.

If he let these people use him now, they would do so again and again, until eventually, he’d be a slave to their whims. He’d seen the same process played out time and time again on the streets, and even been subject to it a few times. It started off innocently enough, but one day he'd wake up and not even recognise the slave he had become.

Still, the core would synergise extremely well with his healing affinity and probably net him some amazing skill. All he had to do was roll over like the government was telling him to, and it would be his.

Arthur swallowed his greed.

He reminded himself that the corporation wanted HIS specific skill set and had come to meet him in person. They needed him whilst he didn't really need them. Well, except for that extremely juicy item they had in their possession, but they didn't need to know that. It would make any future negotiations much easier if they didn’t know about his rapidly growing monster core addiction, and he was positive that they’d soon come asking in earnest for his services. Arthur would milk them dry of all they had then.

All in good time.

Arthur smiled; he felt good, in control of his life, something he hadn't realised he was lacking for a long time now since Rize’s untimely death. Something he had steadily been reclaiming since the system’s arrival, and now held firmly within his grasp.

“Actually,” Arthur said, pushing back the core in Selena's outstretched hand. “I think there's been a misunderstanding here.”

It gave him an incredible sense of satisfaction when he saw Julia’s face immediately pale as she realised what he was about to do. Selena just looked confused. She couldn't fathom how something could be misunderstood in what she considered an already established deal.

“You see, my fine young ladies.” Okay, maybe he was laying on a little thick right now, but he delighted in the dread that was on Julia’s face. Why am I enjoying this so much? Am I a sadist?

“I’ve actually just realised that I’ve been working too hard lately. I mean, I can't even remember the last time I had a proper night of rest.”

Selena's puzzled face was quickly replaced by a frown. If this was some childish joke, she didn't find it funny. That's why she was especially surprised by Arthur's next words.

“I’d like to say that it was a pleasure working for you Miss Addam, but I’d be lying. That’s why I’m afraid to tell you I'll be resigning today to go on a long-awaited vacation."

"For a week.”

Turning back to Selena, he continued.

“For the same reasons, unfortunately, I’m unable to take on your job at the moment. Of course, if your boss would be willing to wait a week until I’m available, then I'll be delighted to be of assistance then, but it seems to me like you're on a very short time frame. I hope you're able to find a healer that's able to match my extraordinary abilities.”

Okay, maybe that line was too much. Selena had a vein throbbing on her forehead and looked like she was about to explode in rage and Julia Addams was glaring at him with naked hate in her eyes.

Hey, don't look at me like that. You just had to play nice and everything would have gone so well.

Deciding to quickly leave the place before the women decided to try and kill him, Arthur shouted behind him.

“I’m sure all the money I've accrued working here will be enough to pay the fee for breaching the contract. You can deduct anything over that value with the gear you promised to deliver to me.”

That last line was definitely too much, and Arthur heard the sound of glass shattering as Julia crushed the teacup she’d been holding in her hand.

“It seems I’ve outstayed my welcome. I hope to never see you again. Goodbye.”

He almost ran out of the room, but controlled himself to a brisk walk, leaving the furious women together in the office. They'd been stunned into silence.

Arthur smiled.

That had wrapped up nicely.