My attributes are increasing infinitely

Chapter 480: Recruitment

The forest had grown quiet again, as if the land itself had finally exhaled after the chaos of the previous battle.

Ethan stood with his head slightly bowed while maintaining a respectful posture, his arms relaxed at his sides and his expression carefully neutral. Across from him, the envoy named Harold studied him in silence for a long moment, his sharp eyes moving slowly over Ethan’s figure as though he were examining a rare artifact rather than a young man who had just survived a battlefield filled with corrupted beasts.

At last, Harold spoke.

”Rise.”

Ethan lifted his head and straightened his back before meeting the man’s gaze directly.

Harold’s eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed the absence of fear in the young man’s expression. In most cases, a level one standing before a level seven would struggle to remain upright under the pressure alone. Their voices would tremble, their bodies would shake, and their eyes would instinctively drop toward the ground.

Ethan did none of those things.

Instead, he simply stood there calmly, as though this encounter were nothing more than a routine conversation.

”You destroyed thousands of corrupted beasts,” Harold stated in a flat and controlled tone, his gaze remaining fixed on Ethan’s face. ”And yet, after that display of power, you chose to run away from a level three boar.”

Ethan gave a small nod without showing any sign of embarrassment.

”My situation changed.”

Harold tilted his head slightly as he observed him.

”Clearly,” he replied, and his gaze began to sweep slowly across Ethan’s body as if he were searching for something invisible to ordinary eyes. ”Your energy signature has almost completely disappeared. A short while ago, you were radiating power that could be sensed across the battlefield, but now it feels as though you are barely emitting anything at all.”

He paused before asking the question directly.

”What happened?”

Ethan did not respond.

He simply stood there in silence.

Harold waited patiently, as though he had all the time in the world.

The quiet between them stretched longer and longer while the distant wind rustled through the damaged trees around the forest clearing.

Finally, the envoy allowed the corner of his lips to curl upward into a faint and knowing smile.

”Keeping secrets,” he said calmly. ”That is good. It is the first sign of someone who intends to survive in a place like this.”

He then turned slightly and raised his hand, gesturing toward the distant outline of the city that could be seen beyond the forest.

”Come with me. We need to talk.”

Ethan did not hesitate.

He followed.

The building they eventually arrived at stood near the center of the city, surrounded by wide stone streets and other structures that carried the same unmistakable aura of power and authority.

Although it was not the largest structure in the district, its design immediately drew the eye. Clean silver lines ran along the dark stone walls in precise geometric patterns, and faint blue energy pulsed slowly through narrow veins carved directly into the architecture, creating the impression that the entire structure possessed a quiet and controlled life of its own.

Ethan followed Harold through the entrance without speaking.

Inside, they passed through several long corridors illuminated by soft blue light that seemed to originate from the walls themselves. Their footsteps echoed faintly against the polished stone floors as they continued deeper into the building.

Eventually, they entered a spacious room.

At the center of the chamber stood a long table that had been carved from a single slab of dark material that Ethan did not recognize. The surface reflected the faint blue glow from the walls, while several heavy chairs had been arranged neatly around its perimeter.

Harold walked forward and took a seat at the head of the table.

Ethan remained standing near the entrance.

”Sit,” Harold said casually.

Ethan stepped forward and chose a seat several places down the table. He did not sit close enough to suggest familiarity, yet he did not remain so distant that it might appear disrespectful.

Harold noticed the decision immediately.

A small hint of approval appeared in his eyes.

”You saw what I did to that beast earlier,” Harold began while resting one arm on the table. ”The attack that destroyed it might have appeared impressive to someone at your level, but I assure you that such power is nothing remarkable within the Ragnarok Clan.”

Ethan listened quietly without interrupting.

”Our clan extends across multiple continents,” Harold continued in a calm and confident tone. ”We possess territories in many different realms, and our members exist at every stage of the level system. Some are only beginning their journeys, while others have reached heights that you cannot yet imagine.”

He leaned forward slightly while studying Ethan’s reaction.

”We are always searching for individuals with potential,” he added.

His gaze sharpened.

”You destroyed thousands of corrupted beasts while barely emitting any detectable energy, which alone would have been enough to attract attention. Afterward, your power collapsed almost entirely, yet you remained calm and composed rather than panicking.”

He paused deliberately.

”That combination of traits makes you valuable.”

Ethan remained expressionless.

Harold’s eyes gleamed faintly.

”I am offering you a place in the Ragnarok Clan.”

The words settled heavily into the quiet room.

Before Ethan could respond, another voice suddenly echoed from the doorway behind him.

”He is an outsider, and according to the rule, we should receive the first opportunity to recruit him. Surely you remember that, Harold.”

The voice was deep and rough, with a rumbling quality that sounded like massive stones grinding together beneath the earth.

Harold’s expression changed immediately.

The calm confidence that had defined his demeanor only moments earlier shifted into something darker as he turned his head toward the entrance.

A figure stood in the doorway.

Its body possessed a humanoid shape, but the head that rested above its broad shoulders was unmistakably that of a bull.

Thick curved horns extended from either side of its skull, arching upward before tapering into sharp points. Dark eyes shone with clear intelligence above a wide snout, and the powerful body beneath that head appeared to be constructed entirely from layers of dense muscle.

Every movement suggested restrained strength.

The aura surrounding the creature was impossible to mistake.

Level seven.

The same level as Harold.

Harold’s voice became noticeably colder.

”Dominic. How did you learn about this so fast?”

The bull headed figure stepped fully into the room, and the sound of his hooves striking the stone floor echoed softly with each deliberate step he took.

However, he did not answer Harold’s question but gave him a smirk.

Then, he turned his attention toward Ethan.

Those dark eyes studied the young outsider carefully, as though measuring something that could not be seen with ordinary vision.

”An outsider,” Dominic rumbled slowly. ”I sensed your energy from the opposite side of the city. The way you fought was unusual enough that it caught my attention immediately.”

He tilted his head slightly.

”It did not resemble the combat style of any clan that I know.”

Ethan remained seated and silent.

Dominic’s lips curled into something that might have resembled a smile if it had appeared on a human face, though on him the expression looked distinctly predatory.

”I am Dominic of the Aurora Clan,” he said.

He paused briefly, allowing the name to settle in the air.

”Our clan was created entirely by outsiders,” he continued. ”Every one of us arrived in Elysium from another world, and none of us chose to allow the existing powers of this realm to swallow us without resistance.”

For the first time since the conversation began, Ethan’s eyes flickered with a faint spark of interest.

Dominic noticed immediately.

The hint of his smile grew slightly wider.

”You may not yet understand the political structure of Elysium,” he said calmly, ”but outsiders possess certain protections here. When a new outsider appears, the first clan that makes contact does not automatically gain the right to recruit them.”

He paused.

”There is a rule.”

Harold’s jaw tightened visibly as Dominic continued speaking.

”The clan composed entirely of outsiders holds recruitment priority. In situations like this one, the first opportunity belongs to us.”

Dominic then turned his head toward Harold.

”You know this rule perfectly well,” he said evenly. ”There is no reason to pretend otherwise.”

Harold’s hands rested against the surface of the table, and the tension in his fingers caused his knuckles to turn pale.

”The boy has not accepted anything,” he replied coldly. ”I presented an offer, but he has not given an answer.”

Dominic released a rough chuckle that echoed through the room.

”Then the offer remains unresolved,” he said. ”And the priority still belongs to Aurora.”

He looked back at Ethan.

”Join us, outsider. The Aurora Clan does not serve the ancient families that dominate Elysium. We do not bow our heads before native powers, and we do not allow ourselves to become ornaments within their systems.”

His voice lowered slightly.

”We build our own strength.”

He paused.

”And we build our own future.”