By the time the sun began its slow descent from the sky's peak, Nexus had dragged Marcus to the Oasis Quarters.
Unlike the rest of the Eastern Mansion's barracks, this area was quiet—eerily so. Fewer buildings, fewer people. It felt deserted at first glance, like an abandoned outpost tucked away from the world.
But the moment Nexus stepped foot into the plaza, figures emerged.
Some dropped silently from rooftops, others rose from the ground as if the earth itself had coughed them up, and a few simply walked out of nearby buildings, casual yet alert.
Marcus first impression was that everyone here was weird, even weirder than Nexus, however, he soon realized that they all gave off dangerous auras, even though they were restricting their powers.
Though they all appeared relaxed, their presence exuded threat. Their levels were hidden, names unreadable, yet the air warped subtly around them. Like Nexus, their power was cloaked—palpable.
"Captain's back," drawled a man with deep bags under his eyes. His voice was languid, his posture slouched, as though sleep had long abandoned him. He looked to be in his late thirties, but his stare cut through Marcus.
Marcus shivered. What's with this weird guy, Why is he looking at me like that?
The rest of the Oasis Squad began surfacing one by one, excitedly offering greetings and nods toward Nexus, who received them with his usual brand of swagger. From the snippets Marcus overheard, he realized something surprising.
Nexus had been inactive for over a decade. Many of them hadn't seen since then.
They were clearly thrilled to see him return. Marcus, on the other hand, was largely ignored.
The man with the sleepless eyes turned toward Keeyah and the others and frowned. "Why are you all suppressing your levels to 14? And why hide your realms?
"Captain's orders," Waldolf replied, as if it were obvious. "He intercepted us mid-deployment and ordered us to restrict our levels and realm. Said it'd make things more interesting."
"Interesting?" The man echoed, turning his tired gaze to Nexus.
Apparently, Nexus had only come out of his seclusion a few days ago and snuck out of the barracks with his teammates.
"Captain?"
"What," Nexus grinned, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't look at me like that. If I had stayed here after leaving seclusion, I would have flattened the Western Mansion out of boredom. Be glad I decided to stretch my legs elsewhere."
Then, with a sudden push, he shoved Marcus forward. "Anyway, meet our newest family member—Marcus Black."
Finally, the squad turned their full attention on Marcus. He felt the weight of their scrutiny—about sixty sharpened stares dissecting him at once.
But just as quickly as it came, their interest vanished. One by one, they turned back to Nexus, as if he'd just introduced a stray dog.
None of them tried to inspect his status directly, but they didn't need to. He was weak –painfully so by their standards. And given what they knew of Nexus, none of them believed he was serious.
The idea that this was his recruit? Laughable.
"Really?" Someone muttered.
Nexus raised a brow, smirked, and burst into laughter. "You guys think I picked up some talentless brat, huh?"
He pointed at them grinning widely. "Just wait. You'll be choking on those thoughts soon enough. Same as the other captains, same as the higher-ups. They thought I brought home a dud—and let me take him for only 100 Credits!"
He slapped his thigh and laughed even harder. "A hundred! Can you believe how cheap that is!?"
From the way Nexus spoke, the squad's doubt began to waver. Several members threw second glances at Marcus, their gazes sharpening as they tried to peer deeper into what they had missed.
This time they noticed something strange.
He emitted no Wilder Force—not even a flicker. Without the identifier floating above his head, he could've passed for a normal soldier or even a civilian.
Others turned toward the team that had accompanied Nexus on the recent mission, silently demanding answers.
Keeyah stepped up, "The boy is… interesting. Though, I'm not entirely sure what he is. Captain will have to clarify that."
The others who had journeyed with them nodded in unison, adding weight to her words. Their quiet agreement only stoked the curiosity of the rest.
That was when Logan—the man with the sleepless—moved. He stepped forward, retrieving a pair of silver-framed glasses from his pocket. Marcus tensed the moment Logan placed them on his face.
The sensation that followed was like being stripped bare.
Again? Marcus thought. It was just like when Officer Mark had scanned him. But this time, Marcus tried to resist—tried being the key word. The pressure from Logan's gaze pressed down on him, rooting him in place.
"Hmm…" Logan muttered, with his eyes narrowing behind his lenses. "Above average stats across the board. No Comprehension. A curious Nature. And no Wilder Force Whatsoever."
He removed his glasses with a disappointed frown and turned to Nexus. "I still don't see what you see, Captain."
Marcus's brows twitched.
No Comprehension? He checked his status panel just to be sure—and there it was, sitting quietly: [Unfettered]. Still active.
Is that they can't see it? Or that this guy chose to ignore it?
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Nexus clicked his tongue with an exaggerated amusement. "What would you guys do without me? Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell unless he shows. This kid is a Savant," Nexus finally revealed.
The word hit like a bolt of lightning.
What? The same thought flashed through every mind in the courtyard. Their expressions sharpened instantly.
A Savant?
They all scrutinized Marcus once more this time with a more sharpened focus—but it yielded nothing new. Just an ordinary frame with an unremarkable presence.
Nexus chuckled.
"You guys should give up on that. You haven't come across Spiritual energy before, nor do you know how to sense it accurately. Even I didn't know until he revealed it… Though he's only a weak Savant at the moment, with no comprehended concept, yet, the fact that he's unlocked the path is enough."
Nexus folded his arms, speaking as both strategist and leader.
"If we can train and groom this guy over here, our future progress will be confirmed and secured. Those greedy bastard clans from other Mansions won't be able to have leverage over us anymore."
Wait, even you can't tell that I have already begun comprehending a concept? Marcus looked at Nexus with a shock-filled expression.
The same with Keeyah and the rest.
Though they knew he was interesting, none of them came to the conclusion that he was a rare Savant. They soon began to understand more of why their captain had tolerated Marcus's behavior through the journey…
Or so they thought…