System's POV

"Excuse me, Miss Sherry. Can I have some of your time?" Leon asked as he approached the young lady who was roasting some meat over a bonfire.

After he saw Thirteen leave the camp, he noticed that Erica went to talk to the other Apostles, leaving the teenage girl alone.

Since this was a rare opportunity, Leon decided to approach Sherry while the nuisance was away.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Leon?" Sherry asked.

She did her best to keep herself from frowning. The teenage boy in front of her had been giving her some bad vibes ever since she first met him.

"I just want to say that I admired Miss Sherry's management of the Wanderers when we first arrived here in Solterra," Leon said. "If possible, I'd like to become friends. Is that possible?"

The young lady did her best to keep her lips from twitching.

Clearly, she didn't like Leon. Becoming his friend was the last thing she wanted to happen.

However, she knew that if she rejected him directly, things might get complicated—not only in Solterra but in Pangea as well.

Her parents were the leaders of a Mercenary Group, which was based on the Cygni Continent.

Due to the upcoming Jinn Invasion, they decided to stay and defend their homeland, just like everyone else who lived in the Cygni Continent.

If she were to get on the wrong side of one of the Scions of the families that ruled the Cygni Continent, things might get difficult for her and her family.

"May I know what being a friend of Mr. Leon entails?" Sherry asked.

"You're making it sound like this is a business transaction, Miss Sherry," Leon replied. "I just want to form a connection with you to increase my chances of surviving here in Solterra."

"To begin with, Mr. Leon is more talented than me, so your chances of survival are higher than mine," Sherry said. "I am only able to survive because of Boss Zion. If not for him, I might already be dead by now."

"You underestimate yourself too much, Miss Sherry," Leon shook his head. "While I do admit that Zion is very capable, he can't always be there to protect us all. When he's not here, we have no choice but to fend for ourselves. Isn't that right, Miss Sherry?"

The young man said the words playfully, but Sherry was someone who could read between the lines.

Leon was implying that Zion wouldn't always be there to protect her, and if that were to happen, she would be left to fend for herself.

It was a subtle threat, and one that she needed to take seriously since Leon was a member of the Gates Family, which was one of the Ten Prestigious Families of Pangea.

Just as Sherry was desperately thinking of what to say or do, a chuckle reached her ears.

Leon heard it too, so he turned around, only to see the person he didn't want to see in this kind of situation.

"It seems that Mr. Leon here thinks that he has the authority to make the Gates Family move," Thirteen said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, are you actually threatening my Vice Captain to become your friend if she doesn't want to suffer the consequences of her refusal?"

"Of course not," Leon replied, returning Zion's smile. "I was just telling her that I want to be friends, so we can help each other to complete this mission."

Thirteen nodded. "I see. But I don't want you to be friends with her. What can you do about it?"

"I don't understand why this is an issue." Leon frowned. "I just want to be friends with her. Besides, I am not your subordinate, so I can do whatever I want to do."

Thirteen laughed and nodded his head.

"You're right. You're not my subordinate," Thirteen said as he lightly patted Leon's shoulder. "But remember this—soon, you will be begging to become my subordinate."

Leon swatted the young man's hand from his shoulder. "In your dreams."

After saying those words, he glanced back at the young lady and bid her farewell.

"Your talent can only be recognized by people who know your value, Miss Sherry," Leon stated. "If you change your mind, don't hesitate to look for me."

The Scion of the Gates Family then walked away without giving Thirteen a second glance. Since he had already made his point, staying was no longer an option.

He just hoped that his words had an impact on the young lady, whose family's livelihood depended on the mercy of the Prestigious Families in the Cygni Continent.

"Sherry, let's take a stroll for a bit," Thirteen said.

"Okay," Sherry replied.

She would be lying if she said that she didn't feel anxious about Leon's subtle threat. However, she was still glad that Zion interrupted their discussion, so she didn't have to answer Leon's question of whether she wanted to become his friend or not.

Since Zion had already said that he didn't want her to become friends with the Scion of the Gates Family, she decided to use that as an excuse the next time the Scion approached her again.

When the two of them entered one of the empty rooms within the stronghold, Rocky appeared to swallow both of them whole.

After seeing the familiar scenery, Sherry was able to calm down because she knew that she was in a safe place.

"You don't have to worry about Leon," Thirteen said. "He's just one of the many Scions of the Prestigious Families. It's a wonder what made him think he can do whatever he wants just because he was born with a golden spoon in his hand.

"One word from me, and he would find himself disowned by his family in Pangea. The Griffin Clan and the Patriarchs of the Gates, Bishop, and Lotte families will not bat an eye to make him understand that he isn't as important as my pinky finger.

"If you're still worried, you and your family can relocate to the Aldebaran Continent. You don't have to worry about him ever again. Also, if you still feel insecure, I can always feed him to Giga."

The Blaze Skunk hugged Thirteen from behind and lightly growled, telling Thirteen that he didn't like to eat trash, which made the teenage boy smirk.

"I'm sorry," Thirteen lightly rubbed Giga's right cheek. "I'll just feed him to Blacky then."

Sherry giggled. From her point of view, the young man's interaction with his monster friends looked quite endearing.

"Thank you, Boss," Sherry said after she regained her composure. "I'll be more confident when he talks to me next time."

"As you should." Thirteen nodded. "If he annoys you once more, we can always make him disappear. After all, accidents happen in Solterra."

The teenage boy and the Blaze Skunk both grinned like third-rate villains, which almost made Sherry giggle for a second time.

She didn't realize that the anxiety in her heart had already disappeared and was replaced with a very warm feeling of being protected by someone whom she could depend on.

"Oh, I almost forgot the real reason why I asked you to come with me," Thirteen said before taking out the blood-red core that had been "downgraded" by Metatron.

Sherry looked at the familiar-looking Beast Core and looked at the young man in confusion.

"Absorb this," Thirteen ordered. "This is from that Rank 6 Sovereign Camouflage Spider. However, I tinkered with it a bit, so now, it's only a Rank 5 Sovereign Beast Core. Don't worry. You can absorb it safely. I guarantee that you won't implode afterward."

Sherry blinked once then twice before reality dawned upon her.

Ever since she arrived in Solterra, Thirteen forbade her from absorbing any Beast Cores using the reason that he would find her a Rank 5 Beast Core to absorb.

Back then, she thought that the teenage boy was just joking. It just so happened that her parents also told her that she should absorb a High Ranking Beast Core during her First Wandering, so she conveniently obeyed the young man.

Those who were able to get lucky and actually absorb a Rank 5 Beast Core before becoming Rookies would have an advantage over those who weren't able to do so.

They would become significantly stronger than their peers and also gain abilities that would grow with them as they increased their rank.

"A-Are you sure about this?" Sherry asked. "Can I really take it?"

"Of course, you can," Thirteen replied. "Tomorrow we will depart to whatever lay on the other side of the one-way portal. I need you to be strong enough to support me when that happens."

Sherry slowly raised her hand and accepted the Beast Core with teary eyes.

"Thank you, Boss," Sherry said, doing her best to control her emotions. "I'll do my best to support you."

Thirteen nodded. "You're welcome."

He then watched as the young lady absorbed the Beast Core, which would grant her new abilities that would change her life forever.