After struggling, Darek finally took his hand off Desper's body.
His handsome face looked exhausted .His skin was pale, drops of sweat were running down his forehead,
"Pheww… I thought my soul was about to leave my body. You sucked all my Energy dry," Darek said, gasping for breath. "Are you an Energy vampire or something?"
"I- I'm sorry," Desper's voice was trembling.
Then, he asked. "Is there anything else I should be aware of, other than your Origin here?"
He was pointing at the gray Origin between his chest and stomach.
Darek looked at him in confusion.
"No? Do you feel anything strange?" he asked.
"Just asking," Desper answered, trying to keep his face normal.
Desper decided not to tell him about his other Origin for now.
Darek narrowed his eyes while looking at him.
Desper felt his heart pounding under Darek's stare.
"Sighhhhh… everyone has their own secrets," Darek said after a sigh. "Your ability to absorb all my Energy means that you are special."
And he added, "You're doing the right thing. Don't tell anyone about your secrets." Then, he grinned. "Your friend, your wife, and even your own father can turn into your enemies."
"Huh?" Desper blinked in confusion.
When he saw Darek's grin, he felt a chill run down his spine.
He could guess that Darek had some sort of dark past with his friend, his wife, or his father.
'But, how could he keep smiling while talking about that?'
'Maybe he was traumatized, and that made his personality turn out like this,' Desper guessed.
Darek noticed Desper's reaction.
"Forget what I said," he said, waving his hand. "Give me five minutes to catch my breath, then I'll take you on a tour of the sect."
Darek took out a finger-sized red stone, brought it closer to his body, and closed his eyes.
Desper watched him silently as the five minutes passed. During that, the stone in his hand was slowly decreasing in size.
Darek opened his eyes again, the stone still in his hand.
"Now we can go."
They went out of the hall.
Desper followed Darek as he led him through different places in the sect: the Fighting Ground, Training Yard, Leading Hall, and many others.
Desper noticed that many people were looking at them. They looked at Darek with admiration, but at Desper with questioning eyes, some confused, others disgusted.
At the Fighting Ground, Desper finally understood why they had been acting like that.
Inside, a huge board stood prominently so everyone could see it.
On it, five hundred names were written, the five hundred strongest disciples in the sect.
"So that's why you're famous," Desper murmured as he read the second name on the board: Darek Vareth.
Darek didn't respond, only smiled as they continued the tour.
Desper was surprised by how big the sect was.
It felt like a city, with buildings everywhere and many stores selling ordinary things. There were many people walking in the streets: old folks, women, and even children.
"I thought only disciples could stay in the sect?" Desper asked.
"We cultivators risk our lives every day for people we don't even know, without receiving anything in return. Even if we get free food and drink, it doesn't make up for the dangers we face," Darek explained.
"In return, the sect allows us to bring our whole families to the safest place within its territory, the sect itself," he added. "That way, we can fight without worrying about them."
"When a disciple dies, the sect lets his family stay here for three generations. The only difference is that they now have to work for the sect like cooking, cleaning, or doing other things."
Desper listened to every word with deep contemplation.'
"You mean if you die, the sect will use your family as servants?" Desper asked, disgusted.
"Hmm? You don't understand how many people wish to work for the sect even as servants," Darek smiled and explained. "Every year, around a thousand disciples die fighting monsters. But nearly five million ordinary people are devoured by them. And that's just for our sect. The same happens in the others."
Desper's eyes widened in shock at the numbers.
"Do you understand now?" Darek asked, looking at Desper. "Everyone would still want to live in the sect, even as servants."
Desper's eyebrows rose. A look of understanding appeared on his face.
"That makes sense," Desper murmured.
'You'll hate becoming a cultivator,' Desper thought, 'but maybe one member of your family would wish for you to become one to get a safe place.'
He felt shivers run down his body at the thought.
While they were talking, they reached a large brown building. It was special as there were few guards around it, most of them women.
"That's the Allowance Hall. Here, you can get your monthly allowance and your mission rewards," Darek explained.
As they walked inside, Desper noticed only two female guards and one old woman.
The guards wore the sect's uniform, but the older woman wore the same robe as the Fifth Elder, a black robe with orange irregular lines.
Desper knew she was an Elder as well.
"Give me your badge," Darek told Desper.
Without thinking much, Desper handed it over.
He watched as Darek approached the old woman.
"Greetings, Tenth Elder," Darek cupped his hands.
"Welcome, Darek. How can I help you?" the Tenth Elder nodded indifferently.
Darek handed her the badge.
She placed it on the table. The number ten appeared, glowing red on the table.
Then, she took out a small pouch and gave it to Darek.
Darek nodded and left the place with Desper.
"That's how you receive your allowance or mission reward," he said as he handed the pouch to Desper.
Desper nodded.
He opened the pouch and found ten finger-sized red stones.
As they were walking, suddenly, a masked figure snatched the pouch from Desper's hands and ran.
"Wha—?"
Desper was stunned. The thief was so fast that Desper wondered how a human could move like that.
Darek was about to chase him but he didn't.
Out of nowhere, a small rock appeared and struck the thief's leg.
"Arghhhh…"
The thief screamed and fell to the ground.
"Finally, I caught you."
A voice came from behind a building, followed by the appearance of a another disciple.
He was tall and muscular. His face had sharp features with bright red eyes. His long red hair reached his shoulders.
There was an enthusiastic smile on his face as he approached the thief.
"Ela—Eland?" the thief's voice trembled under his mask.
"Hahaha, I've been tracking you for a while, newbie stealer,"
The man named Eland laughed as he grabbed the pouch from the thief.
Then he turned around.
"Here's your pouc—"
When Eland was about to hand the pouch to Desper, his eyes widened in shock.
"Desper? Darek?" he called out.
"Huh?"
Desper was surprised and confused. 'How does this man know my name?'
"Wait! What's going on here?" Eland looked confused.
Then, he looked at the thief. "Did you try to steal these stones while Darek was here?"
"I- I didn't see him," the thief stammered.
He seemed shocked to see Darek but didn't know who Desper was.
Suddenly, Eland struck him on the back of the head, knocking him out.
"Now, can any of you explain what's happening here?" Eland narrowed his eyes.
Desper was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say.
"Let me explain this," Darek stepped forward.
"Desper, this is Eland. You might see his name on the board as he's ranked third in the sect," he said. "Eland, I don't need to introduce him to you because you already know him."
"Excuse me?!" Desper finally spoke. "How does he know me?"
"Do you remember when I told you there was an incident a year ago, and that we met because of it?" Darek asked.
"So?"
"Eland was there too. Actually, not just him, the Sect Leader was there as well," Darek explained.
Then he turned to Eland.
"Eland, Happy Village was destroyed by an unknown cause. Desper was the only survivor. He lost all his memories, so he doesn't remember anything."
"What?! When did this happen?" Eland asked in shock.
"Yesterday," Darek replied.
Desper chose to remain silent.
"Yesterday… and he lost his memories. That's so bad." Eland scratched his head.
"Wait a minute!" His eyes narrowed, then widened. "This pouch was in his hand before it got stolen. That means…"
"Yes, you guessed it right. He's awakened his Origin, and he is now a new disciple of our sect," Darek said.
"That's terrible! That's terrible!" Eland yelled, pacing back and forth. "What are we going to do now? If the Great Elder finds out about him, he'll be dead."
Desper was shocked as he heard that.
"I informed the Sect Leader. He'll do what he thinks is right," Darek replied.
"Excuse me," Desper finally said. "Can you tell me what exactly happened in that incident a year ago? And why would the Great Elder kill me?"
Eland looked at Darek, unsure whether he should answer.
"Sighhhhh… okay, I'll tell you half the story," Darek said.
Desper sharpened his focus. He didn't want to miss a word.
But when he heard what Darek said, his pupils shrank, and his eyes widened. His body trembled as cold sweat drenched his back.
He was in complete shock.
"One year ago, you killed the Great Elder's youngest son."