Chapter 255: New Kid On The Block

That question was quickly answered after Dennis, Minh Quan, and the others convened in the meeting room as Uhtred had ordered.

"Boss," Minh Quan greeted the moment he entered the meeting room. His expression was gleeful. He looked very pleased to see Uhtred again.

Dennis was the same, though far more reserved. He carried a scholarly, yet noticeably regal air compared to the last time Uhtred had seen him.

"Minh Quan, Dennis." Uhtred nodded at both of them with a smile. "I see you two have settled into your roles very well."

"Indeed, boss," Dennis smiled as he took his seat at the large meeting table. "I think I’m far better suited for management than fighting. My class, ’Insight Adept,’ has even seen improvement without needing to be in battle."

"Oh?" Uhtred raised a brow. That news seemed very promising to him. "So it’s just like we discussed then. Your ability definitely carries some Esoteric traits."

"It would seem so, boss," Dennis nodded.

During the previous year, Uhtred had discussed various matters with his core crew, specifically regarding their advancement.

He recognized that, for him to keep forging forward on the path of ascension ahead of everyone else, the core things needed to fuel his growth — assets that could only be acquired through advancing his territory, securing trade deals, and managing territorial relations — had to be handled by capable hands.

More specifically, it wasn’t just about capability. Those individuals also needed to be powerful — strong enough to deter any covetous eyes, even in his absence.

It was why Minh Quan could no longer handle the territory alone. The old Vietnamese soldier was a capable man, Uhtred gave him that much.

He was dogged, relentless, and for someone holding an Uncommon Grade talent, he was easily one of the best Uhtred had seen within that talent grade.

But that still wasn’t sufficient to leave the territory entirely on his shoulders.

The incident with the now-extinct Vanezzi family was a glaring example. If Minh Quan had been powerful enough, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to bully him into surrendering access to the regional dungeon while Uhtred was away.

That situation would have escalated into an even greater disaster if not for John Allen, who had been present and was a bit more powerful than Minh Quan.

If Dennis had been in that position, on the other hand, things wouldn’t have turned so dire. Unlike Minh Quan, he possessed a Rare Grade talent. And even though his "Insight Adept" class wasn’t explicitly geared toward direct combat, it was immensely lethal in battle when leveraged correctly.

It allowed him to spot subtle weaknesses no one else would see and exploit them ruthlessly.

Of course, exploiting those vulnerabilities relied heavily on his mobility, meaning he still needed to ensure his agility and strength attributes were raised sufficiently to support his class well.

In any case, the fact that his class wasn’t specifically geared towards fighting was what Uhtred had discussed with Dennis the year prior. After learning about the different magic types — Elemental, Esoteric, and Fundamental — he had theorized that Dennis’s class likely fell under the Esoteric category, as it didn’t align with standard elemental magic.

Based on what Dennis had just shared, that theory appeared to be spot-on.

"That’s good. I will consult with you on some matters later," Uhtred said. It seemed he had found a trustworthy, close source to begin furthering his understanding of Esoteric magic.

"For now, though, what is this matter I heard the trainees complaining about before I came up?" he asked.

Dennis and Minh Quan both raised a brow, exchanging a brief look of confusion, before Dennis realized what Uhtred was referring to.

"Oh, that?"

Minh Quan caught on as well, his expression shifting from confusion to mild scorn.

"It’s nothing you should concern yourself with, boss," Dennis said smoothly.

Uhtred raised a brow, clearly intending to hear it regardless.

Minh Quan let out a sigh and spoke up instead.

"It’s the World Government, boss."

"What about them?"

"Well, you know how the seventeen-year-olds were all gathered for System integration at the start of the new year? Well, a few interesting talents emerged from among them..."

"Oh?" Uhtred hummed, his interest piqued immediately. This was one of the developments he had been looking forward to checking on after returning from the Tower.

Dennis cut in to elaborate:

"Some kid going by the name ’Hero’ has become massively popular across global news lately—"

"—There’s a global news network now?" Diya interrupted from the side, surprised. "We weren’t even gone that long. How did so many changes happen already?"

"Well, you know the saying, Miss Diya... there are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen," Dennis replied smoothly. "In this case, a lot of things happened in the few days while you were away."

"This Hero kid," Uhtred redirected the conversation. "What’s his deal?"

"Ah, right." Dennis returned to the main point. "Apparently, he came out of his integration with a Legendary Grade talent."

That revelation drew an immediate look of surprise from Uhtred, Diya, and even Zara, who had been listening passively.

"Yeah. The World Government published a public directory of talent grades known to them, and they’ve made a deliberate point to use it to highlight just how gifted this Hero kid is," Dennis continued. "They’re marketing him as a ’knight of the people’, a classic hero who looks out for the little guy."

Zara scoffed faintly at that, her expression amused. Uhtred merely shook his head with an exasperated chuckle.

"That was my reaction as well," Dennis nodded with a faint smile. "But this kid is actually the real deal. They’re even saying he’s the one who is going to topple you from your ’throne,’ boss."

Uhtred laughed out loud. "Is that so? Based on what?"

"...Well," Dennis hesitated slightly, as if gauging how Uhtred would take the news. "They claim he broke past Level 10 in just a single day..."

Uhtred stared at Dennis, his expression blank. He looked at him as if he was expecting some sort of greater punchline.

"Wait... that’s it?" He looked around the table, and to his surprise, the only person who shared his unfazed reaction was Zara.

Diya was staring at him as if he’d grown another head, obviously wondering whether they’d heard the same thing. Dennis didn’t know how to react. It was as though he was wondering whether Uhtred was playing it off or whether I was being serious.

Minh Quan was the same. The old Vietnamese soldier’s eyes were wide as he stared at Uhtred.

"You’ve got to be kidding me... What’s so great about that?" Uhtred chuckled in disbelief, then squinted his eyes trying to recall. "If I remember correctly... I also cleared Level 10 in less than a day too."

His statement was met with silence, and he immediately noticed it and refocused on the faces staring at him around the table.

"What? You don’t believe me?" he looked genuinely flabbergasted at their shocked expressions. "Dennis, come on. you knew I was Level 10 at least when we first met, right? Against that dude... what was his name again...? Scorpion!"

"No, boss," Dennis shook his head immediately. "I knew you were several Levels above him... not that you were at Level 10."

"S—Say boss..." Minh Quan asked, his voice hesitant. "Does that mean you’re also a... Legendary Grade talent...?"