HP: The Arcane Thief

Unaware that a certain (perverted?) woman had set her sights on him, Axel laid on the annoyingly cool mattress, trying to sleep.

The soft mattress was cool to the touch, almost as if it was wet, and it was just the perfect mixture of foamy and bouncy that gave him the illusion that he was sinking in water. In such a mattress, he just kept shifting from side-to-side, marvelling at the unique feeling.

In short, it was so comfortable that he couldn't sleep. That's why it was annoying.

With nothing to do, he just began to think about what he would have to do in the future.

Now that he has successfully Infiltrated Atlantis, the next step is to destroy Kraken, preferably while not revealing his identity.

He has to admit that the power of both sides is far above what he had imagined. In such a situation, if he tried fighting the Kraken alone, he is not confident about his chances. It's too risky and difficult.

Borrowing the power of Atlantis would be the most optimal way to deal with the Kraken.

Thus, it seems that he is going on the right route by applying to the army. If there is one problem, it would be that it's too slow. Daphne would worry every day until he returns.

But it's also for the best that he has come here. If Kraken destroys Atlantis, it would turn its sights on the outer world next. That's why, he had to bring the fight to kraken. He could not just passively wait for them to come for him at their leisure.

So, he has no choice but to be away from her. Last time, when Theron and Nerio had kidnapped him, he had almost dragged her into danger when his magi-mirror was discovered. After that incident, he had decided he never wanted to be in such a situation again.

Axel raised his hand, the one that was not cut. This hand had been holding Daphne's hand for the past few days in order to practice Zen Focus. Her hand was so small and delicate, almost as if he could crush it easily.

But he realized that, when holding hands with her, his sleep would be especially peaceful. Situation like not being able to sleep was impossible.

Axel closed his eyes and imagined the feeling of her holding her hand. He imagined her lying beside him, looking at him sleep like she used to in the past few days. He imagined how she would sometimes snuggle up to him when she thought that he was asleep. He imagined inhaling her scent and feeling her heartbeat.

As he imagined it, a sense of bliss slowly enveloped him, and he easily drifted off to slumber.

Axel woke up in the morning refreshed and energized. He glanced around and remembered that he's in fact in Atlantis. But, training still couldn't be skipped.

'System, am I being monitored in this room?' He asked the system, just in case. He didn't want anyone to see his training.

[No.]

Axel quickly began doing his routine. After so long, he had reached the advanced stage in many of his skills, making the progression a lot slower and the exercises a lot more strenuous.

The exercises were so difficult that Axel was sweating within minutes. Magic power circulated from around his body, and a heavy exhaustion fell on his body, accompanied by a generous amount of pain.

But Axel still persisted. As long as the final result was positive, he didn't mind hardships at all.

'What?'

Axel realized that today, he had far surpassed his usual limit, but somehow, he was still able to continue the training.

'How…?'

[It's because you're in Atlantis] Answered the system.

But Axel was still confused. 'What does that have to do with my increased energy?' He asked.

[You might have noticed that being in or near water has a few passive effects on you.]

Axel nodded. It was true that water does have some positive effects on him. For example, he would be more energized when in water, or his injuries would be healed more quickly. But it used to be extremely slow and almost unnoticeable.

But ever since he has arrived in this place, he has been getting this feeling of having boundless strength on his fingertips, as if he could do anything.

[It's the same effect. But it's magnifying with the awakening of your bloodline. Furthermore, now that you're in Atlantis, hundreds of thousands of kilometers under the ocean, your bloodline is responding to it.]

'So, it's like this.' He realized that this was also true. Ever since he had gotten the skill [Water Bending], the effect of water was much more pronounced. And it only increased when it got upgraded to [Water Monarch].

'Is that the reason why you recommended soaking my body in cold water in the recovery plan?' He asked.

In the recovery plan for his body that the system had given him, he also had to soak his body in icy water two times a day. Axel had thought it was just to stimulate muscle repair, but now he didn't think so.

[Affirmative. But that was just normal water. The water here is different. Trying it out is recommended.]

Thus, when Axel completed his daily routine, he went to the bathroom that was attached to his room.

As he stepped into the shower area, a transparent screen popped up in front of him.

[Full body Wash

Hair Wash

Partial Wash

Healing Wash

Muscle Relaxing

Customize

…

…

…

…]

There were many options for bathing. Axel just chose the first two options.

[Please apply the breathing instrument to your nose.]

A cabinet popped open which contained a few plugs.

Axel put one on randomly. In the next moment, water gushed out from all sides. Within seconds, Axel was completely submerged in cool water.

This time, the effect was even more apparent. The soreness of his muscles, which is usually ever-present, slowly dissipated as a refreshing coolness slowly spread throughout his body. Axel felt a connection with the water.

'It's indeed different...' At this moment, stretching out his body, Axel thoroughly agreed with the system.

[This is the magical water of Atlantis, your Kingdom. It will have an increased effect on you.]

Within a few minutes, he was able to almost fully recover. Suddenly, Axel had an epiphany.

'If it's like this, can't I train infinitely?' He wondered.

[No.] The system poured cold water on his thoughts. [Your water affinity hasn't awakened to the extent that you can train infinitely. At least not yet. But yes, you can definitely increase your workout by twice for now.]

Axel was very happy with that. With this, he would be able to dramatically improve his rate of improvement.

*Beep*

But as he was about to resume his training, he heard a sound from his door. Looking at the interface, it was the same student who had brought him here, carrying a box in his hands.

??

But when Axel opened the door, he was immediately taken by surprise by the scene outside. Right in front of his doorway, a huge pile of boxes, big and small had been gathered, making up a small mountain.

"What… the hell is this?"

Tarmin, who had rung the doorbell, was also a bit speechless at the strange scenario. "These are recruitment offers," he explained.

"Recruitment offers?"

Axel wondered if he had finally succeeded. "So, I don't have to attend the academy?"

Tarmin's mouth twitched. "With those skills, you can even be an instructor. What will you learn in the academy?"

"But isn't it mandatory to graduate first?"

"That rule isn't absolute. It's just that none of the divisions usually recruit cadets who haven't completed their education. But when they find talented cadets who have already surpassed the academy level, the divisions can directly recruit them if they want to," Tarmin explained.

Axel looked at the huge mountain of boxes in front of him. "But, what kind of recruitment offers need to be given in such containers?"

Tarmin shrugged. "The boxes have gifts. Your demand right now is extremely high. Those boxes have precious items that the divisions have sent to entice you into joining their division. Of course, they would also offer various other benefits as well, like higher position, higher pay, and so on."

"All this, just for me? Isn't this too much?" Axel felt that the situation was a bit exaggerated. He didn't show that much after all. "Surely, there are students who are much better than me, right?"

"I don't think so," said Tarmin. "While there are indeed some cadets who are more powerful than you in a particular path, they are not necessarily better," he stated with certainty .

While there are some who can run faster, some who can shoot more powerful bullets, and some who cast more powerful magic, Axel's overall abilities in each path far surpasses all of the students. Those so-called inexperienced geniuses are useless in the real war scenarios.

"Besides, you are currently going algal on the Deepnet. Your trial has been on the first place in the trending list for a while. It's rising very quickly. That's another reason why the divisions are trying so hard to recruit you."

(Algal=viral, Deepnet=Internet)

There were various reasons, like Axel's young age, his outstanding skills, and so on. But the effect is still too exaggerated. After all, there have also been videos of some 5 or 6 star giants casually doing the trial. But for some unknown reason, Axel's trial is getting more attention than even them.

If they have to put a finger on it, it would be that Axel's trial is just too entertaining. He only reveals his cards one by one and there are a lot of "wow" moments that just leave the viewers banging their tables. Besides, there is a certain coolness and charisma in Axel's every move that makes people want to watch it again and again.

When he realized that he was already famous here, Axel put his hand to his forehead. It seems this is something he has thoroughly failed to avoid here as well.

"Anyways, what does being famous have to do with the divisions wanting to recruit me?"

"Well, there is something called the popularity perks. If a division has a popular soldier, it would attract more sponsors and recruits alike. You should already know, war requires a lot of funds. There are incredibly wealthy people in Atlantis, but making them loosen their pockets is another matter. So of course, someone like you is like a cash whale for them."

In his mind, Axel decided to reject any and all invitations that had the intention of using him for this purpose.

He looked at the box in Tarmin's hand. "So, are you here to recruit me as well?" Surprisingly, even Tarmin had also come with a box in his hands.

"Me? Oh no. No! I mean, I did come here to give you this." He said, handing him a box. "But it's not for recruitment."

"What's this?"

"Just a few essentials that every academy student gets."

When Axel pressed the button, it scanned his face and unlocked with a click. Lifting the lid, Axel the first this Axel saw was a bracelet, one similar to what everyone around here has been using. It was resting on a Military enclave academy uniform, a pair of training clothes, boots, gloves, and glasses and various other accessories.

"It's the standard academy gear. Everyone gets one on enrollment. Even though you are already graduating, you did clear the enrollment criteria, so here you are." Tarmin's incredulity could be felt in his voice when he said those words.

Coming to enroll as a novice, but ending up graduating as the top student. This was probably a first in the academy's history. Naturally, even the Royal Academy didn't know whether to treat him as a student or not. But considering his future prospects, he was allowed all the student perks.

Tarmin left soon after while giving a wistful glance towards the recruitment offers. With nothing to do, Axel dragged everything inside and began opening the boxes one by one.

Armors, Guns, Tridents, knives, there were all kinds of gifts. Along with them were tablets which contains their contract offers.

As Tarmin had said, their offers were quite enticing. There were many divisions who offered him a high salary, some offered him a cut of the investments him would bring to the Division, and finally, some even offered him higher positions.

Axel directly rejected all the materialistic offers. As a thief he didn't have much use for money and items. Rather, he only wanted to smoothly climb through the ranks and get the chance to enter the main fight.

Among those offering him higher ranks, almost none of them were Spellcaster related positions. The best offers were only for the Warrior, Shooting, and Rider related paths.

When going through them pile, a particular offer caught his eyes.

[Maverick Rider]

A subdivision of riders that only choose the best of the best. The Riders get to ride the Neptunite Maverick model, the most powerful Neptune model currently available, known for its extreme difficulty of handling.

Authority: 3 Stars.

Enclosed in the box was a miniature model of the Maverick, which looked quite appealing.

This offer was one of the good ones. The main reason was that he really wanted to ride this Maverick, whose top speed is high enough to make him question reality.

Axel put this offer aside and continued looking. Suddenly, his eyes fell on a particularly conspicuous box. It was the smallest among all of the boxes, and it was dark emblem on it which looked quite cool.

Axel opened it and was surprised to see a ninja scroll inside. Opening the scroll, he found a Letter inside.

"Dear Axel Hunt (Or Chris Martin?),"

Axel's blood froze when he read the very first line, which was written in a messy English handwriting. Fuck!

"Fancy seeing you here. I was very disappointed when you rejected my kind offer and stopped coming to my classes. You've gotten more handsome in the last few days I haven't seen you. I'm going to extend another offer to you. Don't reject this time.

Looking forward to meeting you~

Lots of love,

Kurai Sensei"

"Fuck!"

Axel wouldn't say that he hadn't expected it. But to see it really happened, he wouldn't say he hadn't panicked.

His disguise was good enough. And he had also improved on the points which Kurai Sensei had mentioned to him the last time. But if he had to judge it himself, he would say it's was too sloppy.

And he had done it on purpose. It wouldn't have mattered if he had to put on a temporary disguise, but in case of a long term disguise like this one, Axel didn't want to pretend to be someone too different from himself.

That's why, his current disguise is almost like his original self, both in terms to appearance and temperament. He had only made sure to keep just enough difference that no one would associate his two personas together.

He hadn't thought it would impact him majorly. After all, he didn't think anyone like Kurai Sensei, who had an abnormally sharp insight and had already observed his original identity in detail.

In fact, it should have been fairly difficult even for Kurai Sensei to confirm his identity. He wondered what gave her the confidence to know for sure that he was indeed Axel.

Axel sighed. Anyways, with his real identity exposed, it would be for the best if he doesn't make an enemy out of Kurai Sensei, unless he is confident in killing her. But killing her is even more troublesome.

Axel scratched it head. Why… why can't things go smoothly for once!

Now that this Seven Star Black Ops Division Leader leader has given him the invitation to join her division, he has to say goodbye to his vision on riding a Maverick.

But when Axel looked at the offer details, he doubted his eyes.

[I'll give you four star authority for now. The elders would made a fuzz if I give you more. We're Hunting the Higher ups of Kraken. If you're interested in joining, come to XXXXXXX.

Ultimate goal is to annihilate those squid down to the last member. It'll be dangerous. Don't come if you're a coward.]

Axel's plans of killing Kurai suddenly came to a halt.

...

A.N.: next : Meeting the Boss

Next next: Axel vs Kyrin