Chapter 431: Many Rank 6, Seven Rank 7

"All right. Now that it’s done..." Ellia crossed her arms. "Can you tell me what your unique elements are again? You did copy a few more during the last batch recruitment, right? I want to see if we can utilize those unique elements to our advantage."

"Really? What is this unique element all about?" Stella tilted her head in confusion.

"He must have forgotten to tell you that." Katarina took out her phone and showed the Unique Temple.

"I did copy a few elements, but it’s not usable yet. In the last two months, I’ve been focusing on pushing my other elements to Rank 3." Auric shook his head helplessly. "There were other projects as well, such as making more artificial heart methods, gathering techniques, and even magic items."

"So, we can’t rely on anything new?"

"However..." Auric raised his hand and patted the table gently. A burst of gray energy spread all over the table and continued to spread all over the rooms.

The table started changing into a toy table, and the entire room—the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor—turned into something that kids would play with.

"!!!" They couldn’t help but look around. The way Auric used his power had changed slightly.

Stella couldn’t help but remember the power that erased multiple beasts easily. She realized this power was similar to it, but it was clear that they weren’t wielding the same power, just the same technique.

"This is a very unique way of using your power..." Maya narrowed her eyes, examining the room.

"A new trick I’ve just learned." Auric nodded calmly. "If you leave this place, you will find that the energy is completely trapped inside. In other words, the outside world will think that this room is just an ordinary room, not an imitation. Of course, I can do this as well..."

Auric snapped his fingers. His clothes changed this time. The change was so smooth that it erased the current clothes at the same time as creating new ones.

"Any chance you want to be a spy?" Katarina asked.

Auric chuckled.

"I see. At least, I now know that there are things we still can use." Ellia felt a bit relieved.

"By the way, the Kefflin brothers aren’t bothering you?" Auric turned to Katarina.

It had been a month since they had helped Refftin evolve, so Auric wondered if the Kefflin brothers held up their end of the bargain.

Katarina nodded. "Yes. Everything has been proceeding nicely. The Kefflin brothers are supportive, and they’re happy to have Refftin reach Rank 4, and they’re expecting him to reach Rank 5 in two to three years."

"I see. Good luck with that." Auric smiled.

Stella asked, "Now that I think about it, why are there not many Rank 6 humans in the world? I mean, there are a few hundred... close to a thousand. However, don’t you think they’re able to reach that level quickly?"

She had become a Rank 5 human at only 21. Even Maya, who was one of the best prodigies this country had, reached it at 23. Of course, it looked like Maya was trying to get to Rank 6 at 26 or 27.

She was still too young, and there was still room for improvement.

Maya shook her head helplessly. "Maybe it’s because you’ve been in the military for too long that you don’t know how the system works.

"There are three big reasons why there are so many Rank 6 humans but so few Rank 7 humans. Currently, humans are dependent on beasts and artifacts to evolve. They have to kill the Rank 6 beasts if they want to reach Rank 7.

"Dealing with one Rank 6 beast alone is a mess because there’s a possibility of an outbreak. Each of them is usually surrounded by their own massive groups, so it’s extremely hard to kill them.

"That’s why not many Rank 6 humans can advance to Rank 7. Unless they have sufficient backing or extraordinary strength compared to other Rank 6 humans, it’s hard to reach Rank 7.

"Even if you managed to kill one, you are more likely to suffer massive injuries during the battle."

"Can’t you just overwhelm the beasts with numbers? We use numbers to face their numbers, but we have good coordination techniques that will allow us to gain the upper hand." Stella frowned.

Maya shrugged. "Maybe it will work, but it costs a massive amount of resources. People die during the fight against a Rank 6 beast. The cost of training another subordinate at that level is high. You need a massive cash injection if you want to do that.

"Therefore, we have this ’Rank 7 candidates’ list. All these Rank 6 people have almost everything—extraordinary strength, a powerful financial background, and sufficient influence. Unfortunately, almost all of them are stuck at the later phase.

"As you kill more and more of them, not to mention the potential of them fleeing, the damage accumulates in your body. Take Jacob, for example. While it’s true that he’s injured not because of the Rank 6 beast, that will happen to your body at some point.

"That’s why an adamantium-grade evolution master is respected. People need them to heal the wounds on your body."

Stella looked down. "So, financial background."

"Are you worried that Auric couldn’t feed you?" Katarina chuckled.

"No, I’m not." Stella shook her head furiously, denying it.

"You don’t have to worry. When push comes to shove, your master has something like this." Ellia showed her the figure.

"What is this? Your investment?" Stella tilted her head in confusion.

"The money from the Moon Store in just two months. Of course, the Moon Store is still in the expansion phase, but you get the idea."

Stella immediately dropped her jaw to the floor. "You earned all this in just two months?"

Auric scratched the back of his head. "The money I can’t touch yet."

"Well, if he wants to use it, he will also need to pay a huge amount in taxes, but unlike any other company, he’s basically like a money tree. You only need to pour the water, and it will bear money fruit." Ellia shrugged.

"Can I call you Daddy instead?" Stella smiled.

"..." Auric rolled his eyes. "You probably don’t need money. I might be able to make you Rank 7 without it."

"What?" Stella was startled. Even the others couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

"It was still in theory, but I might be able to do it. It might not work, but it might work. If it doesn’t work, then we can use the usual way to do it."

"If it does work..."

"You don’t even need to step outside to become Rank 7."

Maya facepalmed and covered her eyes. "This... How am I supposed to say this? What did you do?"

"I found a path to upgrade the gathering technique. It might be possible for the gathering technique to actually accumulate 100% of their element rather than just 10% to 36%."

"..." The room fell silent.

"My heart isn’t ready for this." Katarina clutched her chest.

"Does that include the unique element as well?" Ellia asked.

"Yeah? I think the breakthrough will start with the unique elements. However, I don’t want to give any of you false hope, so just put it in the back of your mind right now." Auric waved his hand. "I want to focus on the magic items first before even thinking about them."

Stella never thought becoming Rank 7 could be so easy. "At this rate, you will be the Godfather of this world."

"I mean, look at me." Auric shrugged. "Do you think I can advance without anyone else?"

"You plan to create Rank 7 humans so you can use their elements to help you reach Rank 8? That’s very clever." Katarina chuckled.

"Anyway, don’t tell anyone yet. If you hadn’t brought up the system, I wouldn’t have mentioned it." Auric waved his hand, shoving the thought away.

"There you have it. Most Rank 6 humans right now managed to reach that level before they were 40. There’s still a lot of future ahead of them. Unfortunately, not many are so lucky.

"Most are too scared to continue their progress because the moment they lose their lives in the wilderness, it won’t be just them who suffer the loss. The ones who have supported them will probably go bankrupt. There is usually a lot of pressure whenever they want to hunt a Rank 6 beast.

"Still, if Rank 6 beasts aren’t the limit, then yes... they’re still too young to stop advancing. They’re usually reaching that stage quickly and just enjoying all the benefits from that point onward.

"This is the biggest reason why people want to become a powerhouse as well as the current elite education.

"The education system will allow you to focus on the elites so that they will become Rank 5 or Rank 6 in the shortest time possible. Meanwhile, those who don’t make the cut will end up becoming the helpers of those people.

"That’s the explanation for why scouts go to recruit talented people from high schools or universities. They can get them first and recoup their investment later. After all, if they take a loss for ten to twenty years but get the benefit of having a loyal Rank 6 for seventy to eighty years, it’s an investment that no one can ignore."

Ellia added, "Provided you have the capital to handle that kind of investment."

"True." Maya snapped her fingers.

"Which is why Auric, who earns so much money without any cost, is the perfect person for sponsoring people."

Katarina chuckled. "Unfortunately, the guy doesn’t seem to have any interest in it. He’s just going to cut the cost of making a Rank 6 human by 90%."

"Yeah. I agree with him becoming a godfather of the world in the future." Ellia sighed.