33 Chapter 33 – Charge

After a while, Nick just sighed.

It seemed like Extractors were quite casual.

"What about level three Extractors?" Nick asked.

"Veterans," Albert answered. "They already worked a lot with Specters, which is why they are called Veterans."

"Level four Extractors are called Experts. I'm an Expert," Albert said with a smile.

"level five Extractors are called Specialists. Crimson Fungus City has fewer than 30 of those."

"Level six Extractors are called Heroes."

"Heroes?" Nick asked.

"Yep, because if there is something threatening the city, they are the ones saving us, and without them, this city wouldn't even exist," Albert explained. "Without the Heroes, all of us wouldn't be alive right now. Heroes represent the strongest existences we can get into contact with."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "But what about the level seven and level eight Extractors?"

"They're special," Albert said. "Normal cities only have Extractors up to level six."

"Level seven Extractors count as legends, and they have dedicated their lives to helping humanity against the Specters."

"Level seven Extractors are the ones keeping humanity safe from the Fallen, the level seven Specters."

"There are less than a hundred level seven Extractors."

"They are called the Protectors."

"And as for level eight Extractors…" Albert said before trailing off.

Then, he released a deep sigh.

"We are forever stuck with only having seven of them."

"We will never be able to have more than seven."

"Why?" Nick asked with furrowed brows.

"The Maw," Albert answered. "The Maw just loves pitting similarly powerful Extractors against each other, and it always takes eight."

"So, if we ever get an eighth level eight Extractor, the Maw will take all of them."

"In the end, only one will come out."

"Meanwhile, there are over 40 level eight Specters."

Nick became silent when he heard that.

Seven versus over forty.

The level eight Extractors were fighting a hopeless battle.

"And what are they called?" Nick asked.

"Well, for all intents and purposes, they should be called Heroes, but since normal people keep referring to level six Extractors as Heroes, we had to choose a different name."

"So, we decided to name them after what they are doing."

"They are unable to injure our enemy, but at least they are able to shield us from the worst our enemy can throw at us."

"That's why we call them Shields."

Nick remained silent for a while.

He could feel how noble and selfless the seven Shields were.

Without them, the Adversaries, the level eight Specters, would have already run rampant.

"Is there a name for a potential level nine Extractor?" Nick asked.

Albert remained silent for a while.

"Well, a level nine Extractor would be able to resist the Eternals, and they would have the power to actually win against the Specters as a whole."

"Someone like that could only be called our Savior."

Nick just nodded without saying anything.

Level seven and level eight Extractors seemed to be very different from all the other Extractors, according to what Albert had said.

The weaker Extractors were still working for the different cities and effectively running them, but level seven and level eight Extractors were focusing on protecting humanity from the Specters.

However, Nick wasn't naïve. He knew exactly that it wasn't possible that every single level seven Extractor was some kind of selfless saint who dedicated their life to fighting for humanity.

This meant that there were either more level seven Extractors or every level seven Extractor was forced to fight for humanity.

Nick wished that the second option was true, but he guessed that the first one was more likely to be true.

'The truly powerful people have a chance at actually changing the world for the better.'

'Someone that has the power to change something should have a duty to change things.'

'So many people want to change the world for the better but lack the power. Because of that, I believe that when you have the power, you have a duty to make the world a better place.'

'I wouldn't be opposed to forcing the strong humans to fight for humanity.'

'They don't need to sacrifice their lives, but they need to put in a real effort.'

Nick sighed.

'However, all of that doesn't matter. I am weak, and my opinion and actions have nearly no effect on the world as a whole.'

'For now, I should focus on what's in front of me.'

"Should we go back to the Dreamer?" Nick asked.

"Oh, has it been three hours already?" Albert asked.

Nick nodded.

"Alright, then, go in."

Nick blinked a couple of times in surprise. "You're not coming with me?"

"Nope," Albert said. "This is your Specter. I showed you how to work with it and helped you a bit, but that was it."

"You're the Chief Zephyx Extractor. You're the one in charge of all Specters and Extractors. It is your duty to manage the facility. If you can't keep the Specters in check, you won't be able to get any Zephyx from them, at which point you have to sell them," Albert explained.

Nick took a deep breath. "I understand."

Naturally, Nick knew that he was the one in charge, but it was still difficult to come to terms with it.

Nick had never led anyone, and he was still only 16 years old.

Having the fate of an entire corporation hanging on his actions alone made his chest feel tight and his shoulders heavy.

Usually, one could almost always ask someone more powerful or more experienced.

A child could ask an adult about what to do.

An employee could ask their supervisor.

A supervisor could ask a manager.

A soldier could ask an officer.

And Nick?

He was the one in charge.

Well, technically, Wyntor was in charge, but Wyntor didn't have much to do with the Specters themselves. 

'I guess I have to learn to take control and to lead people,' Nick thought with a sigh.

'It just feels so weird.'

'I'm not entirely sure what I should do.'

Nick took a deep breath and stood up.

'Well, I won't get an answer by just thinking about it.'

Then, he walked towards the Containment Unit of the Dreamer.