108 Pangkat Anino

"Yes." Black Devil spoke with a hint of fear. "There's a new Level 5 wielder within their ranks. It was Totem Druid."

"What? I thought you killed her?" Sitan was alarmed, albeit his body didn't move a muscle. "We must be cautious. Don't mess with Hayden anymore."

"But sir." Black Devil stood up. "Hayden is too smart. And there's that sliver of a possibility he's a dual wielder."

"Don't worry." Sitan waved his hands. A red crystal materialized in his hands, floating. The aura that the red crystal had was asphyxiating for Black Devil. "Take this."

"A Level 5 cognizant Origin Crystal?" Black Devil's eyes widened. "T-this priceless object… I can't accept this."

"Oh, I have plenty." Sitan swished his right hand in front of him. Three more red crystals, just as asphyxiating, materialized. "Level 5 crystals are easy to obtain."

"Y-yes, your highness." The cognizant Origin Crystal hovered to the front of Black Devil. He got it. "I won't fail you, Overlord Sitan."

"I expect you will not." A demonic laugh originated from Sitan. "That man will be in for a world of surprise."

…..

For another time, Hayden was on the bed of Sayuri. He was oriented towards Eun-ha and was on her arm. His face was buried on Eun-ha's breasts as usual. Sayuri had an arm wrapped around Hayden's abdomen and a leg on Hayden's legs.

He was wearing a simple white shirt and red board shorts. Sayuri and Eun-ha wore plain white shirts and short shorts.

'Well this is comfortable.' Hayden admitted to himself. 'I can't lie about that.'

Groaning, Hayden kissed Eun-ha on the neck to signal he was awake. She opened her eyes and moaned. Hayden gently positioned himself so that the two was now on his arms.

They both rested their heads on Hayden's chest and snoozed. 'I've been spending my night an awfully lot in here.'

Hayden massaged his eyelids with his fingers to wake himself up completely. Acquiring his phone on the nightstand, Hayden opened it.

There was a partial message on it from a new Identity Number. It was from someone named Eva Gumamela. Staring at her picture, Hayden recognized the upper part of her face. It was the Level 5 wielder from last night.

'She's 36 years old?' Hayden blinked in surprise. 'How long has she awakened? And wow, that's a youthful face for a 36-year-old.'

In her photo, Eva had the face of a 20-year-old. She was beautiful, nearly on par with Eun-ha and Shu-Ching.

Hayden opened her partial message. It contained: 'At your earliest convenience, respond to this message. You know we're following you, and you know where we are.'

At that point, Eun-ha woke up. Like she always does, she rubbed her head on Hayden's collarbone and kissed his cheek. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Gonjunim." Hayden greeted back. He pecked her back. Eun-ha took ahold of his face and full-on kissed him on the lips. "Oho, aggressive."

"Shut up, dummy." Eun-ha chuckled. She caressed Hayden's face with her eyes half-closed. "That Sinigang last night was amazing. The taste persists on my taste buds. I love your cooking…"

"Just my cooking?" Hayden teased.

"Oh, you know what I mean, honey." Eun-ha smacked her lips. She positioned her lips near Hayden's ear. She mustered her sweetest and gentlest voice, although it was a bit sleepy. "I love you more than anything and anybody, Hayden-ah~"

"Awesome." Hayden kissed Eun-ha. She kissed back.

"Jeez, you two lovebirds are noisy." Sayuri groaned. She kissed Hayden on the cheek. "And kissing without brushing? Bleh."

"Psh, you're just jealous." Eun-ha mischievously rebutted.

"Whatever." Sayuri got her phone from under the pillow. As she was opening her phone, her nose perked up. She sniffed Hayden. "You smell awesome."

Hayden kissed her on the head as a response. A rather peculiar response that made Sayuri flustered. "W-what was that?"

"Told you, go with the flow." Hayden tightened his hug on the two. "By the way, would you want the date to be prior to the Annual Youth Pride, or after?"

"Prior." Sayuri pouted cutely. "No way I'll prolong the date, Hayden-kun."

"Yeah yeah." Hayden snorted with a smile. "Should I schedule it later tonight then?"

"Will that be fine?" Sayuri pushed herself up. Looking at her expression, it was that of expectance and delight. "Is that okay, Eun-ha-ya?"

"Hey, he's the one who promised." Eun-ha deflected the question. "It's all on his hands. I won't mess with his decisions at all."

"I love you so much." Sayuri expressed her affection for Eun-ha by leaning and kissing her on the cheek, much to Eun-ha's protest.

Hayden was caught in the chaos that ensued with Sayuri's physical affection. One was resisting, one was keeping it up. It was amusing.

"Will this be the norm if you become my girlfriend too?" This sentence from Hayden petrified Sayuri. She turned to Hayden with an innocent and blank stare.

"I hate you." Sayuri returned to her position. She angled herself away from Hayden.

Hayden and Eun-ha laughed at Sayuri's reaction. 'I hate to say it, but… I'm getting used to this… Worse, I'm liking it. Tsk, I fell in a trap. A pleasant and heavenly one, sure… Nonetheless, it's a trap. An inescapable one to boot.'

…..

Rain Sanctuary Hotel. Basement Parking Lot. 3:00 AM. Hayden put Dusk and Dawn on the passenger seat. The second he boarded, Eva, The Stalker, and Plague Doctor all appeared in the backseat with a swirling void of darkness.

"So, where to?" Hayden wasn't afraid of Eva at all. Why? Because he grasped his own importance to Pangkat Anino. A dual wielder alone is rare enough, what of a dual wielder with his Abilities? "Is it in Metro Manila?"

"I've sent you the address." Eva was on her phone. "Let me say that the location of our base is highly confidential. Typically, we'd kidnap new recruits, but The Boss specifically instructed us not to. Be thankful."

"I'll thank The Boss." Hayden didn't sound grateful at all. Checking the address, Hayden deleted the message. "Okay, I'll drive now. Am I allowed to ask questions?"

"Will you be joining for sure?" Plague Doctor's crazed voice was nonexistent. This surprised Eva and The Stalker.

"Yes, I am." Hayden drove the car out of the basement. "I don't want to be with Puting Araw any longer. There's something off."

"You mean you know something about Puting Araw?" Eva probed. From this, Hayden had a hunch that they have knowledge of something.

"One word. Government." Hayden dropped a hint to poke about. The trio at the back looked at each other with solemn expressions.

"How did you know that Puting Araw is working with the government?" Eva tipped herself closer to Hayden. "Who's your source?"

"I have many subordinates." Hayden didn't answer the question at all. "Don't worry, they'd be part of Pangkat Anino if ever."

"Why are you so keen on joining Pangkat Anino?" Eva questioned suspiciously. "You're a spy, aren't you?"

"No. From my perspective, you guys are a better choice for me." Hayden stated. "A small group that is powerful and looks out for their members. A small group that is full of elites. And if I'm right, you guys are a small group that doesn't really have missions' to reward people. You guys bring out the best out of your members instead of 'holding them hostage by exploiting their desire to get stronger.'"

The trio was stunned. That description of Hayden for Pangkat Anino was… Apt and 100% precise. It was uncanny.

"Who told you these information?" Eva was worried that some people may be selling information pertaining to Pangkat Anino.

"No one. I figured it out myself." Hayden put the car to drive mode. "It's quite easy to figure out if you read novels. In many novels where a main character is overpowered, he finds trustworthy allies that he can lean on. These trustworthy allies are usually unruly, unshackled, and people who goes against the norm. It's a big trope."

"Uh…" The trio was wordless. Hayden's words to them, as non-readers, were bizarre. It was as if Hayden was talking high-level computer programming speak to a bunch of people who has never programmed in their lives.

"Anyhow, it's a wise decision too." Hayden turned to them. "If you guys are the most feared organization in the Philippines, then I'll be safe. My family will be safe. And I'll finally be able to live in peace. At least most of the time. That's all I want."

"Don't we all?" The Stalker's tone was that of sadness. "My brother wanted that too. He was… Killed by Kamay ng Lagim for messing with them."

"May he rest in peace." Hayden didn't take a loss lightly.

The rest of the ride was Hayden asking information pertaining to the illustrious Pangkat Anino. He learned many things, such as its motto and its goal. All in all, Hayden's conclusion of Pangkat Anino is good. They're neutral, and all of their members solely want one thing: Freedom.

Of course, at first, Hayden misunderstood. Freedom as a wielder meant freedom to be able to use Abilities in society without the fear of being shunned by regular people.

This was bad as freedom to use Abilities in society would spell the end of the world. A world where strength reigned supreme. A world where the law of the jungle prevailed. The world would descend into anarchy.

Thankfully, that wasn't their goal at all. The thing about this freedom is that it wasn't freedom of the conventional sense. It was the freedom to not be on their toes all the time. It was the freedom to be able to stay neutral. It was the freedom to live life in serenity.

That was why, as long as they weren't provoked, they didn't fight back. It was one of the main principles of Pangkat Anino.

In accordance to this, The Boss had a silver lining for people who wanted freedom. Only those that he deems suitable will be recruited.

…..

"This the place?" Hayden was full of confusion. They were currently in front of a towering skyscraper. The edifice was named 'Kapangyarihan,' or Power.

Kapangyarihan is the most prominent game development company in the Philippines. It mainly focused on story-driven single-player RPGs that are extremely popular. Their most popular game is 'Kathang-Isip' or 'Imagination.'

It was a game concerning the various mythological gods of ancient Filipinos. It was reminiscent to the world-renowned game in the past, 'God of War' by Sony Interactive Entertainment, but set in a primitive Philippines of pre-Spanish era.

Kathang-Isip was one of the games Hayden was planning to play during a livestream, alongside other story-driven games.

As only the address was in the message, Hayden was rather surprised. Additionally, he didn't know that Kapangyarihan's base of operations was in Valenzuela.

"Is The Boss the owner of…?" Hayden drove to the basement parking lot with Eva's help.

"The owner of Kapangyarihan? Yes." Hayden rolled down the window and Eva scanned her fingerprint to the parking lot. "His main job is a… Game developer, as you can deduce."

"Now that is awesome." As a fan of story-driven games pre-awakening, yet unable to play it with his previously low-spec computer, Hayden had always wanted to become a game programmer. Who didn't, in this day and age? "That's a leader I can see eye to eye with."

Nobody responded to that. As a dual wielder, Hayden had all the rights to be a rebel. Nobody undermined his value. Nobody can get in his way. He can get whatever he wanted with a flick of his hands.

However, it seems that Hayden wasn't that kind of a person. Initially, The Stalker thought he was, observing his actions of doing whatever he pleased. In retrospect, Hayden has never forced anybody to do anything. He hired people, and they accepted. That was it.

'How high of a charisma does this guy have?' The Stalker gulped. 'She did say that… Hayden will change the power dynamic at his arrival… The question is, to what extent?'

"You should put on a mask. In case people exit here." Eva warned Hayden. Hayden did as he was told as he parked the car. He wore his White Fox mask.

Parking the car, Hayden cradled Dusk and Dawn in his arms. They were with a Bonding Contract with him. As such, there was no way he'd leave them here and risk losing bond.

Walking inside, Eva put her right hand on the wall beneath the landing. The wall reacted to Eva's touch by glowing with lines. Seemingly verifying her, the wall opened up into an elevator. The quartet stepped inside.

All the while, Hayden was talking with Dusk and Dawn. 'How do you guys evolve? Do you need cognizant Origin Crystals as well?'

'Well, yes.' Dawn answered telepathically and coherently. 'Unlike yours though, our evolution isn't as easy as we can't circulate essence energy. Also, we are restricted to our own Level. There's the matter of innate strength too. Naturally, the stronger the cognizant, the greater the amount of crystals.'

'How much do you guys need?' Hayden followed Eva, The Stalker, and Plague Doctor without a word. '10?'

'Yes. That's the exact amount we need' Dawn spoke. 'That's the highest a cognizant need for Origin Crystals. The thing is, there's an age minimum. In your time, it would be half a year before we can absorb and about half a year to evolve.'

'Okay.' Hayden shrugged. 'Plenty of time to acquire cognizant Origin Crystals. Can you absorb wielder Origin Crystals?'

'Yes. It's actually much more beneficial for us.' Dusk licked Hayden's arm and rubbed her head on it.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened. What met Hayden was an elevator lobby with the wall lined with tons of elevator doors similar to the one they were on. On the doors were labels of where the elevator led to.

One had 'Restrooms.' One had 'Janitor Closets.' One had '100th Desk.' And many more. It was beautifully designed too.

As they walked out of the elevator, the first thing he noticed was the inordinately high ceiling, at about seven meters. Hayden inspected the beautiful surroundings. "You guys have an architect?"

"We have recruits in all walks of life." The Stalker walked beside Hayden. His hollow voice was not as creepy as it was earlier. At least for Hayden. "Writers. Programmers. Fishers. Engineers. Accountants. Doctors. Scientists. And even Linkers like you. The list goes on."

"Interesting." Hayden was fascinated of this Pangkat Anino. "How did The Boss recruit people? Did you guys approach them? Did you guys protect them?"

"In the past, some of us are approached by The Boss personally. I am one of them." The Stalker kindly explained. "Presently, The Boss cannot. He has been too busy managing the affairs of Pangkat Anino. As for protection. You were an exception. You were desperately hunted by Kamay ng Lagim. And if Black Devil himself showed up to kill you… That means you are a huge threat to them."

Exiting the elevator lobby, what met Hayden was a wide reception area that resembled a lofty manor's living room. It had a wooden mahogany floor and wooden, in design, walls. There was an extravagant chandelier hanging up high.

Directly in front of them was a fireplace. In front of the fireplace was a set of sofas with a glass coffee table and a rag.

Spread all around are ten sets of circular sofas circling around a glass coffee table each. Underneath the sofas are black carpets. Lined along the walls are bookshelves filled with all kinds of books of all genres. Even then, the area was deserted.

On the middle of left and right wall were two glass doors, sandwiched between the bookshelves. The one on the left was labeled 'Medical Bay.' The one on the right was labeled 'Recreation Room/Breakroom.'

Near to the fireplace, on the side, were two high archways. Hayden activated his Divine Perception to scope the layout of the place. Surprisingly, his senses couldn't penetrate through the walls.

"Don't bother." As if knowing what he was trying to do, The Stalker said. "The walls are lined with a deep-sea material that was discovered by one of our members. It is named as Abyssal Gold. It has the property to deceptively nullify kinetic energy and many more mystical stuff. When forged into a weapon, it's nearly as strong as that absurd Adamant Alloy."

"Oho." Hayden's intrigue rose up a notch. "Are there any more materials? Like Voidstone and Space Stone?"

"Oh yes, there are numerous." The Stalker talked as they walked into the left archway. "There's the unique Black Shell that is commonly mistaken with regular black shells. It has absurd toughness that can be as tough as Adamant Alloy. Although they are rare There's the Skypiece that can create and similarly disperse any weather when utilized correctly. There is the Elemental Crystal that we found to be able to produce its respective elements infinitely when infused with essence energy. Nightsilk, black silk that's produced by the Night Silkworm, a cognizant. Nightsilk clothes are incredibly tough, able to withstand extreme heat, and can regenerate its bonds, making it extremely stretchy."

"You guys domesticated cognizants?" Hayden's eyes wandered to the two cognizants in his arms. "Can I get some of that Nightsilk later on?"

"Yeah, of course." The Stalker acted amicably to Hayden as he was instructed to. Little did The Stalker know he was getting slowly sucked into Hayden's hidden charisma. "We have plenty."

In that instance, they got into the archway. It was a four meters in width hallway with gray carpeted floors and white walls. It was inordinately long, to the point that Hayden's Heavenly Sense couldn't reach the end of the hallway.

"How big is this base?" Hayden exclaimed thoughtlessly in shock. "How much money was poured into it?"

"Since this was built with our own efforts…" The Stalker hummed. "Approximately 100 million credits. As for its size… Let's say it's about as big as Puting Araw's main base."

"That small of a fund yet that big?" Hayden was astonished. He looked to the left and saw above a sliding metal door 'Communications and Intelligence.' To the right was 'Armory.' "I wonder what's in your guys' armory?"

"I'll give you a tour later." The Stalker proposed. "I've been assigned as your guardian. I want to see it all the way."

"What's your Ability?" Hayden inquired. "It's pretty powerful. My instincts for being watched aren't triggered as much. If you don't mind, why are you using that hollow whispery voice? Is it natural?"

"Its name is The Stalker." The Stalker replied. Next, the hollow voice that Hayden got used to was gone when The Stalker coughed. A tenor voice rang out. "As for my voice, it's a fashion choice and a part of my disguise."

"Fair enough." Hayden shrugged. "But why is The Stalker your codename if it's the name of your Ability as well? Isn't that suicide?"

By that point, they have passed two more doors. To the left was a Generator room. To the right was a 'Training and Simulations Hall.' One can say that they were walking at a pretty brisk pace. In a relaxed manner.

"Well, nobody would assume that it's my Ability, right?" The Stalker chuckled. His hollow voice returned. "All of us have codenames that is our Abilities. Plague Doctor here has the Ability of Plague Doctor. Totem Druid here has Totem Druid."

They passed two doors again. To the left was 'Knowledge Compendium Database.' To the right was 'Research Center.' Hayden was attracted to the name of Knowledge Compendium Database.

"Huh, the eye of the storm is where it's safest." Hayden realized what The Stalker meant. "Who did this?"

"The Boss." They have reached a hallway stretching to the left-side hallway. They walked into the hallway and, halfway, saw a singular wooden dark door. It was The Boss' office. "Get ready to meet him."