"No, no. I don't mind at all, Mr. Maximus. What is it?"
"I just got a report from the chairman that he has decided to accelerate your training schedule. Probably in the next few days, an announcement will be made, and you will go straight into your first mission."
Shaan nodded his head. "Alright, I understand."
"I just hope you use your remaining time well before you go on your first mission." Mr. Maximus immediately patted Shaan's shoulder vigorously. "So, how was the match? Have you managed to beat Theo?
" Uhm.... about that.. I was close to beating Theo, but he used his special power, and I lost." Shaan lowered his head limply. "I'm sorry, Mr. Maximus, even though you trained me so hard, it seems I've only ended up disappointing you."
"Disappointed?" Mr. Maximus laughed out loud. "Of course not, Shaan. I'm just happy that your strength is already much stronger than before. You almost defeated Theo, and that's good progress."
"Re-really?"
"Yes, of course. Now go back to your room and rest."
"All right, Mr. Maximus. "Shaan nodded his head, then walked towards his room to end the night.
***
[Shaan... Shaan.... Shaan....]
He woke up instantly when he heard a faint voice that sounded vividly in his mind. At first, he thought the voice might have been a dream, but somehow it sounded very real and similar to Robin Hood's voice. He once again tried to communicate with the voice, but strangely, it disappeared on its own.
'I'm certain that voice belongs to Robin Hood, reaching out to me... Could this be what they call a Mindlink?'
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
"Shaan, it's me. Mr. Dion. I just wanted to check on your condition after these few days. Are you awake?
"Oh, yes. Mr. Dion. I'm awake. Please come in."
Mr. Dion slowly opened the door to Shaan's room and was seen carrying a trolley with several glass bottles on it. He then walked over to Shaan while pushing his trolley.
"Good morning, Shaan. How do you feel after taking the medicine I gave you? Does your head still feel dizzy?"
Shaan shook his head quickly. "No, my head is no longer dizzy, and I feel much better now."
"Good, then I will check your condition once more." Mr. Dion took the omni-tablet from the trolley, then pointed it at Shaan. " Hmm… It seems that your condition is fine, and so is your Daemon. There is nothing to worry about. That's great news."
"Mr. Dion. I have something to ask you. When I was asleep, I heard a faint voice that sounded much like Robin Hood's voice in my mind. Is that his voice trying to communicate with me?"
Mr. Dion nodded his head. "Yes, that's called a Mindlink. The faint voice you heard was indeed Robin Hood trying to communicate with you. If you continue to increase your bond with Robin Hood, the voice will eventually become clearer, and you'll be able to communicate with him as if you were talking to a person."
"Alright, I got it. Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Dion."
"Is there anything else you want to ask, Shaan?"
"No, that's all."
"Okay, then I'll check on the rest of the Daemonists. Have a nice day. Bye, Shaan." Mr. Dion walked out of the room.
A few minutes after Mr. Dion left Shaan's room, He got up from his bed and immediately got ready. Today, he had a training schedule with Mr. Maximus, and he certainly did not want to make Mr. Maximus angry for waiting too long.
***
Shaan sighed deeply after completing all the heavy exercises given to him. Starting from running around the field, push-ups, sit-ups, and weight lifting, which this time felt much heavier than the previous exercise, since Mr. Maximus had increased the intensity of his training.
"Well done, Shaan. You completed the workout very well, and it seems that your body has started to get used to the exercises I gave you. That's a good thing."
"Yes, Y-your words are right," Shaan said with a gasp.
"Shaan, actually, yesterday there were still things I wanted to say to you, but yesterday you looked so exhausted that I decided to postpone it."
'Yes, I was indeed exhausted. Yesterday's match was very draining for me.'
"What do you want to say, Mr.Maximus?" Shaan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Is it about my match yesterday against Theo?"
"No, it's not that. This is about the mission the chairman assigned to me," he said, pulling out a box of cigarettes from his pocket. "While I was carrying out the mission, I found something quite strange in the Dark Realm."
"Strange?" Shaan furrowed his brow. "I don't understand what you're saying at all."
"For some reason, the dark creatures I encountered felt different—and much stronger—than any I've faced before. Their power had, you could say, doubled, almost matching that of upper-mid tier dark creatures. But the Noctis Portal is only supposed to contain lower-mid tier dark creatures, the kind that are usually easy to defeat."
"So you're saying that there are creatures of darkness that have increased in strength?"
"That's right." Mr. Maximus took a lighter and lit the cigarette in his hand. "Those dark creatures seem to have undergone some kind of mutation or power enhancement, though we still don't know what caused it," said Mr. Maximus, stroking his chin slowly. "However, the chairman and some other officers are trying to find out what caused it."
Hearing Mr. Maximus' words, Shaan fell silent. To be honest, he had no idea something this strange was happening. This was bad. In other words, if he encountered a dark creature whose strength surpassed his, he would be in serious trouble trying to fight it.
"My suggestion, if you ever encounter a creature of darkness whose strength is above yours, either flee as quickly as possible or seek out the whereabouts of another Daemonist who can help you defeat that creature of darkness. I think that is the most effective way."
"Alright, I understand." Shaan nodded his head. "Mr. Maximus, I have something to ask as well. Are the creatures of darkness divided into levels? Maybe if I know about this kind of thing, I can predict the strength of the possible dark creatures I face."
"Just like the Daemonist tier, so far the creatures of darkness consist of 5 tiers, namely: Midnight creatures, Corrupted, Abominations, Sovereigns, and Primordials. Each of these tiers has special powers, and defeating them is not as easy as one might think," he explained. "All the detailed information about the tiers of dark creatures is written in the book you're reading, so make sure to read the book well because you'll regret it if you don't."