"Here you go, Mr. Featherburn."

  A skinny, dark-skinned man with neatly trimmed hair slid a crisp sheet of paper across the counter. Nier accepted it with a casual nod.

  "Ah, yeah. Thanks."

  He gnced down at the document. His photo stared back from the top corner—hood up, expression neutral—alongside his temporary permit details. The rank field caught his eye first.

  Initial Rank: A

  And below it, embossed in deep red - Permit Grade - Crimson Badge – Provisional Authority

  Nier let out a low whistle under his breath.

  "So she wasn't kidding. She actually gave me A-Rank and a high ranking permit, the Crimson Badge."

  He folded the paper carefully and tucked it into an inner pocket, mind drifting back to the briefing he had received earlier.

  The badge system had been created specifically for corrupt users—those who drew power from supernatural items rather than the innate Hesta channels most Hestas relied on.

  Corrupt users fought differently: unpredictable, gear-dependent, often walking the line between genius and disaster. Flux-based items were outright unusable for them, too—something about incompatible resonance. To operate legally, every item had to be registered, evaluated, cataloged, and approved.

  Problem was, Nier didn't exactly carry a weapon in the traditional sense.

  He was the weapon.

  Opening his own body like a dispy case to prove the point wasn't exactly an option.

  So a deal had been struck behind closed doors—special evaluation, special exemption, special clearance. All rubber-stamped by someone with enough pull to make the bureaucracy bend without breaking.

  Nier chuckled to himself as he stepped out of the registration office, the memory of the past hour repying in his head, as he said.

  "I still can't believe I got special permission of this level just for kicking some weakling asses, hahaha."

  The ugh came out genuine, almost boyish—sharp contrast to the casual violence he had dished out earlier. He shook his head, still grinning as he walked down the wide corridor of the Association headquarters.

  The temporary permit changed everything.

  No more sneaking through back entrances or waiting for gaps in patrol schedules. With A-Rank clearance stamped right there in bck and red ink, Nier could walk straight into high-threat Flux Zones without anyone batting an eye.

  And the Crimson Badge—third highest in the hierarchy—meant he could sell Flux items directly, no middlemen, no shady back-alley deals. Anything below Crimson and you were stuck funneling your hauls through licensed brokers or risking bck-market fines that could strip you of more than just your gear.

  The badge tiers ran simple but brutal: Bronze, Silver, Crimson, Emerald, Gold. Each one was a rare perk the Association dangled only in front of the absolute elite—hand-picked, and battle-provenven.

  The lowest of the five—Bronze—was enough to let you hunt in the restricted sectors Public Service usually keep locked up from the public due to the sheer complexity and danger that some of these Flux Zone typically harbors.

  "Hahaha… with this, I can move way more freely now. And it’s all thanks to those two."

  He tucked the document away, already mentally mapping out the nearest high-rank Flux Zone he wanted to visit.

  "Still, what Nikuhara said to me kind of bother me a bit."

  Nier said to himself as he remember the conversation before leaving.

  20 Minutes Earlier

  "Nikuhara La'Vieta Baros, at your service, young sapling. Like our delightful cunt of a commander here, I am also a Level 5 Hesta. I work as the Head Dispatcher for the Lunaris City sector of the Association. I mostly handle support roles and long-range strikes."

  Nier kept his expression neutral, but his mind was already turning.

  'Nikuhara… Can't say I've ever heard the name before. But if she is another Level 5, then is she on the same level as Alexis? Only one way to find out.'

  Name: Nikuhara La'Vieta Baros

  Age: 31

  Alignment: Chaotic Good

  Race: Hesta

  Level: 5

  Ability Synopsis: Nikuhara awakened eight years ago and is widely regarded as one of the strongest support-type Hestas in the field. Her ability is officially called Spirit Creation. She doesn't pull elements or forces out of thin air. Instead, she takes whatever is already physically present in the environment—real fire burning nearby, actual water in a river or rain, space that is around her, wind that is already moving, existing earth/rock/soil, ambient heat or cold, darkness in shadows, raw kinetic energy from motion, electromagnetic fields, gravitational effects, even tiny pockets of time distortion if the conditions line up—and she gives it life, and spiritual form.

  She awakens these things into temporary or permanent spirits. Once they're awake, they're not just mindless effects anymore; they become living, responsive entities under her complete control. They act like they have their own personalities: a fme spirit might fre up aggressively when she is pissed, or simmer patiently when she needs subtlety. A water spirit could move with smooth, almost hypnotic grace one second and then snap forward like a whip the next. They listen to her commands perfectly but can also operate independently as they are connected to her soul.

  She can stack them, combine them, send them out to attack, defend, heal, reshape terrain, create barriers, mess with visibility, amplify allies, debuff enemies—pretty much anything you can imagine when nature itself is involved.

  Nier looked at her with his Occultist Eye's.

  'Wow. This has to be the most ridiculously versatile Hesta ability I've seen so far.'

  Nier kept the thought to himself, still processing just how broken Nikuhara's Spirit Creation sounded. But Before he could dig deeper into the implications, Lady Blue's voice snapped him back to the present.

  "That aside, rookie—since you won that little shit-show of a competition, it is time we talked about your rewards."

  She said while cracking her neck for emphasis. Nikuhara folded her arms and nodded along, picking up the expnation smoothly.

  "She's right. Top spot in these special admission exams usually comes with extra perks when you sign on with the Association. Varies person to person, but the big one is rank."

  "Really?"

  Nier tilted his head, genuinely curious now.

  "What rank do I get then?"

  Nikuhara answered without missing a beat.

  "Normally, fresh heroes start at F-Rank. But if you get a strong recommendation from inside or outside during standard testing? You jump to C-Rank. But the winner of one of these special exams?"

  She gave a small shrug.

  "Typically gets an instant B, but in special case of showing your capabilities. Your going to jump directly to A-Rank."

  "A-RANK?!"

  Nier's voice came out louder than he meant. He caught himself and lowered it, half-ughing in disbelief.

  "Isn't that… a little high? I mean, come on."

  Lady Blue snorted, rolling her good eye.

  "Stop bitching, will ya? You and that android were throwing around power on the level of a high level 3 or low-tier level 4. And I am pretty damn sure you weren't even going all out."

  "Default rank would've been B anyway. The whole point of these special exams is to figure out where you actually sit, not where the paperwork wants to put you. You've got a undry list of abilities, and your skills enough to mash them together like it is nothing, and that passive cutting shit that triggers off killing intent alone? That already puts you in the top bracket compared to most people with abilities."

  Nier let her words sink in, then gave a slow nod.

  "Fair enough. Rank and titles never really moved me anyway. All I wanted was a permit to hunt Fluxes and enter Zones legally. But if you're handing me A-Rank on a silver ptter, I am not gonna compin."

  Lady Blue smirked.

  "What a waste of potential. That aside—we've actually got a problem."

  Nier raised a brow.

  "That being?"

  Nikuhara stepped in again, his voice calm but pointed.

  "You're a Collector, right, Nier? That is what our intel says."

  "Yeah."

  No point lying about that one.

  "Then do you have a registered permit for the Flux items currently in your possession?"

  Nier scratched the back of his neck.

  "…Ah. No."

  'I really can't bullshit these two. My powers aren't tied to Flux items at all—not really. Closest thing is that I'm technically a Flux now because I'm Kaly's apostle, but there is no way in hell I am telling them that.'

  He cleared his throat.

  "My situation… kinda got forced on me."

  Lady Blue let out a long sigh, like she had been expecting this.

  "Makes sense. Your father was the reason I awakened as a Hesta in the first pce. Back then we already knew the world was about to flip upside down thanks to the New Gods. Bernard was neck-deep in the old supernatural ways—practitioner through and through. Guy had roots in shit most people never even heard about."

  Nikuhara blinked, suddenly very interested.

  "Wait—hold up. You're telling me Nier's father is from that era?"

  "Not exactly."

  Lady Blue corrected.

  "He was one of the rare few humans who still had real knowledge of the pre-modern supernatural underground. Before Hestas became public knowledge, that kind of info was locked behind closed doors. Bernard Featherburn was a geneticist that suddenly came out of nowhere before he vanish, but back then he quickly became extremely famous. Back when he worked for Anticu—hell, it is called Public Service now—he was one of the few guys cooking up the project for creating first-generation Hestas."

  Nier's eyes widened.

  "What? My father was part of Public Service?"

  Lady Blue looked genuinely surprised that he didn't know.

  "You didn't know?"

  "No. My parents were… secretive as hell. My father died hardly telling anything about himself. Before he went, though, he did experiment on me. I'm a little hesitant to say this out loud since Fluxes are basically public enemy number one, but… yeah. The man was obsessed with creating the perfect being."

  "The perfect being?"

  Nikuhara echoed, leaning in slightly, intrigue clear on her face.

  Lady Blue jumped in before Nier could answer.

  "If I had to guess, he probably experimented on you the same way he did on the rest of us."

  Nier frowned.

  "What do you mean?"

  Lady Blue crossed her arms, expression turning serious.

  "Do you know what me and the other top ten Level 5s have in common?"

  Nier shook his head.

  "Not really."

  "Back during the first big war—Kitzleberg was the first country to crack artificial Hestas. But the practice itself is way older. There was this one guy who got his hands on the stolen research, saw the fws, and figured out a better way to make superhumans without turning people into disposable b trash right out the gate. That guy was already inside Anticu—one of their head researchers. He knew the Great Cleave was coming. Knew the Dracas would wake up due to his connection with the higher ups of that pce. So the organization gave him carte bnche: gather kids, prep their bodies, unlock insane potential so that when the Cleave hit and certain people were chosen to awaken, his subjects would be the ones who rose to the tops faster than anyone."

  She paused, letting it sink in.

  "That is how I got this strong. Same for the other nine. His name was never publicized—obvious reasons. Most of us powerhouses got funneled into the Association when it Anticu change there name to Public Service ten years ago. We're independent now because Public Service wanted to give humanity actual hope instead of just hiding the strongest assets."

  "So they gave us our freedom under the condition that we became heroes for fifty years. The Director made a deal with the higher up of Anticu, and created the Hero Association. As he used his negotiation skills to get Public Service to back the whole thing. Bottom line? Your father is the reason monsters like me even exist. So when you say he was obsessed with creating the perfect being… I am starting to think you might be his greatest success. Despite now being a Hesta, I can sense Gaian energy in you."

  Nier stared at her for a long second, processing.

  "…Huh."

  "Well, I already said more than I should, however since we are both byproducts of the good doctor. I can see why you didn't register any Flux items, you said you're a parasitic user, but in reality it's more along the line your father probably turned you into an artificial Flux and Hesta hybrids didn't he, it wouldn't make sense if that is not the case. Because I can sense both Flux and Gaiain energy in you like I said earlier. That shouldn't be possible, you know."

  'What a scary intuition, although I am a little shocked to find out my father was apart of Public Service in the past, then and again, she did say she work alongside my dad as well before she switch careers, that also means my mother was apart of it as well, the question is though what role did my mother pyed in Anticu at the time?'

  So many answers

  Yet vastly more questions remain.

  And Nier knew he wasn't going to get them as easily if he didn't investigate this more deeply.

  But those could wait for now, he had to take things one step at a time.

  "So what now!?"

  "Well, I want to tell the other's, however I will hold off on it for now, for now though I will do you a favor, I will get you the documents you need, also there is also one more thing you will get."

  "Ohh, and what might that be."

  Nikuhara was the one to answer.

  "Well since you're a collector, the reward as the victor of the exam would be a special item that sets you apart from other Collectors. Tell me Nier, do you know what Collector Badges are?"