'The most valuable resource in the universe???'
Alex would be confident in saying that right as he read that line would be the most shocked he had ever been in his life.
The prospect that his soul orbs would be so sought after that people would literally commit genocide just to get their hands on some had never occurred to Alex. He had been absorbing them for a while now since he had started off as an Awakened, and although they were much better than beast cores, surely they weren't so good that people had to go to such lengths?
Now that he knew this fact, Alex knew that he had to be much more careful in consuming them in the future. He didn't know if the federation knew of the existence of soul orbs, but he wasn't going to so casually expose them like he had mistakenly done before.
He had brazenly taken them out during fights, like in the exam to recover from his injuries, and he had no doubts that some observers like Professor Will had noticed the strange glowing orb light that appeared in Alex's hands and disappeared soon after.
But the fact that soul orbs were so valuable, meant that there was actually another way to get your hands on them other than through Alex's talent, which Alex really wanted to know how that was.
This whole thing about soul orbs had stressed Alex out a little — he felt a much heavier weight on his shoulders now that he knew just how strong his talent was.
And this was just the effects of the first layer, there was still a second layer to learn about, and maybe even more layers after that…
'Speaking of the second layer, what the hell system!??'
Alex looked at the description for the second layer, and noticed the lack of anything of substance.
'Find out for yourself… Is this some kind of joke I'm not getting? Why does this stupid system have to be so difficult? Always hiding information for no reason.' Alex shook his head and his blood pressure increase the more he thought about it.
[If information is withheld from someone, it is for their own safety.]
'Oh so now you talk? Who are you anyway, why are you always listening in on my thoughts? Don't you know it's rude to do that, urghh.'
***
After his tantrum was over 10 minutes later, Alex became much more clear headed and realised just how immature he had been.
After thinking it over, the system was probably right. If Alex had known about things like Mutant beasts when he first entered the Primordial Expanse, he might have done something stupid out of blind confidence and got himself killed trying to fight something far above his own strength.
It was because this information was withheld from him that he hadn't gone out and done this. But the lack of information was also a double edged sword.
If he encountered a Mutant beast or higher naturally while out hunting, he might not have any clue what he was really facing and attack it not knowing it was classes ahead of him.
The more Alex thought about it, the more he realised that the system was right and he was wrong.
'Haha, it's actually funny how information is hidden to stop people from getting themselves killed because of their own stupidity.'
Deciding that it was time to move on from this, Alex packed up his things and left — much more conveniently now that he had the storage earring.
'I guess the next three or so months are gonna be quite boring. Just endless killing and looting.'
***
'Only a day left before I return.' Mira thought to herself.
She had spent over 4 months in the Primordial Expanse at this point, and the time that she'd have to leave was imminent.
In the final two months of her stay, her rate of hunting had risen drastically. Her original dozens of beast cores had turned into hundreds through her own hard work.
Not only this, but she had also managed to switch out her Ordinary E+ rank sword out for a Mutant E rank sword.
Although it was actually a rank lower, it was much stronger than its predecessor due to its higher classification.
It was with this sword, that she finally managed to take down her first Mutant class D- rank beast, which luckily dropped a beast core. This was the last beast she had slain, only a day prior. It was also the one that allowed her to overcome that final push to reach E+ rank.
Now, she was a formidable Mutant class E+ rank awakened.
She had no doubts that there would be other newly enrolled students of a higher rank and maybe even class than her, but she was confident that she wouldn't be behind them in terms of actual combat power.
Most of the kids enrolling in Capital Prime come from notable families, utilising their family's resources to push themselves through the ranks and classes.
While this allowed for them to have a dramatic rise in the short term, things became much more tricky in the long run when they reach a point where they can't rely on their family anymore and have to go out in search of their own resources.
This was the reason such powerful families sent their kids off to Awakened universities and the military — so that they could learn some valuable combat experience to ready them for the harsh reality of the Primordial Expanse.
It was this fact that allowed Mira to have so much confidence in herself, as her strength and power came from her and her alone.
The only help she had along her journey was from Alex, and even then that was a mutual relationship — a 'you pat my back, I pat yours' type situation.
'Alex, I'll be waiting for you on the other side. I hope you are ready, I'm finally strong enough to give you a good challenge!' Mira's self confidence and demeanour had changed drastically over the last 4 months. She had gone from the shy and reserved girl with trust issues, to a much more bright and radiant girl, unafraid to take on any challenges life throws her way.
'I wonder how Alex will react when he sees me…'
But there was still a shy side to her when Alex was in the equation…