One month had passed, and rumors about Atticus had spread throughout the camp. Most people had discovered his true identity as the family head''s son.


    Those who were discerning enough started treating Atticus with respect, hoping to gain his favor. However, a few prideful individuals still held out.


    During this time, Atticus had sparred with Ember on several asions. He had also asionally joined Nate and Lucas for lunch. Although they weren''t yet close enough to be considered friends, their rtionship had improved over the course of the month.


    After today''s training session, Elias informed them to prepare for a change in their morning routine. Nearly all the youths had managed to arrive on time, prompting the instructor to decide that it was time to intensify their training.


    Atticus was scheduled to go beast hunting with the squad today.


    As he approached the building, he encountered the usual curious gazes from others, but as usual, he paid them no mind.


    People had learned not to cross him, and that was satisfactory for him.


    He entered the building and found his teammates at the counter.


    "Hey Atticus! You''re finally here," Sophie greeted him cheerfully as he approached.


    "Yeah, sorry I''mte. I lost track of time training," he replied with a small smile.


    "You should consider taking it easy, or how will we ever catch up if you continue to grow stronger so rapidly!" Nate eximed, a mixture of awe and concern in his voice.


    Atticus responded with a smile, seemingly unfazed by Nate''sment. Then, he turned his attention to Helodor, who had been ring at him intensely throughout the exchange.


    ''I''ll have to deal with him soon.''


    Atticus''s decision to consistently ignore Helodor stemmed from the fact that he hadn''t crossed any major lines. He had simply been fussing over trivial matters and hadn''t gone beyond that.


    Atticus found it suspicious that he was receiving such treatment. Helodor had suddenly started harboring animosity towards him for no apparent reason. ''It''s bing annoying,'' he thought.


    While Atticus wasn''t one to resort to violence for mere stares, he did have a breaking point. And it was bing increasingly concerning. ''You''d think he has a crush on me or something,'' he mused.


    After a brief wait, He arrived. She exchanged quick greetings with the squad and then said, "Let''s go choose our mission," directing them to the second floor where they could select their assignments.


    He remained her usual direct and bossy self, though she was cautious in her interactions with Atticus.


    Over the past month, Atticus had consistently demonstrated his strength, which left her both shocked and wary, especially after she had learned about his background.


    While in the camp, everyone was meant to be equal, anyone with at least a functioning neuron would understand that it wasn''t wise to earn the disdain of someone likely to be the heir.


    One could only wonder about the thought processes of certain individuals.


    Upon reaching the second floor, they encountered a small gathering in front of arge holographic wall.


    As they got closer, Atticus recognized one of the individuals – Orion, Sirius''s son.


    Orion had previously challenged Atticus to a fight and had persistently pestered him after Atticus initially declined. Orion was apanied by his squad.


    As Atticus and the others approached, he couldn''t help but notice Orion''s smirking expression. ''Not this again,'' Atticus thought, fully aware that something foolish was about to transpire, and indeed, it did.


    "Hey, if it isn''t the coward," Orion quipped, his squad members adding to the provocation byughing. They were all well aware that Atticus was from the main family, but were relying on Orion to protect them.


    ''You owe me one, old man,'' Atticus thought. His patience was wearing thin, and the only reason Atticus was keeping up with this was because of Sirius.


    ''Since I can''t beat him up, I might as well speak my mind,'' Atticus couldn''t resist delivering aeback. "Seems like your father held a different opinion, though. Or were you just more of a coward than I am?"


    Orion, infuriated, began to approach Atticus, but He blocked his path. "He''s a member of my team; you''ll have to get through me first," she dered, looking at Orion coldly.


    ''She should be aware that he can''t attack me. Why is she acting this way?'' Atticus pondered. Every recruit knew the rule that a higher-year couldn''t initiate an attack against a lower-year. Atticus found it strange that she would intervene despite being aware of this rule.


    "Move! Do you think your measly 4th rank can challenge me?" Orion replied, taking a step toward He.


    In response to this, Helodor, Nate, and Sophie stepped forward to support He. Even Sophie, who was usually all smiles, was giving Orion a cold stare.


    Orion''s teammates also moved forward. Just as the situation seemed about to reach a breaking point, an AI voice suddenly resounded from each of their devices.


    [Fighting inside the building is prohibited. Punishment will be severe if broken.]


    Orion clicked his tongue in annoyance at that message. "Lucky bastards," he muttered. He swiftly selected a mission, and he and his squad left. The situation was defused before it could escte further.


    After they left, Helodor immediately turned to Atticus and ced me on him, "This is all your fault!"


    Atticus narrowed his eyes threateningly, about to take a step towards Helodor, but Nate stepped in, "How is it his fault?" He was growing tired of Helodor constantly seeking trouble.


    Helodor appeared ready to respond, but He intervened, "Stop, Helodor. It''s not important. What matters is that we as a team support each other."


    Helodor huffed in response and turned away. After that, He quickly selected a mission.


    Choosing a mission was straightforward. They were all disyed on arge holographic wall, and all you had to do was enter the mission''s serial number on your device.


    The wall would then blur out the mission with thebel "In progress," and the mission details would be transferred to each teammate''s devices.


    After picking the mission, they received a notification about the mission details. Atticus decided to check it as they started moving toward the gate.


    Their hunt this time was an Arachnix, beast bearing a resemnce to spiders with multiple legs and intricate patterns adorning their robust bodies.


    Arachnix had evolved to be masters of the rocky terrain they inhabited. Their legs were adapted for scaling cliffs and navigating narrow crevices, granting them exceptional mobility and agility. The Arachnix they were after was of intermediate rank.


    ''The most troublesome aspect of an Arachnix is their unique reproductive cycle,'' Atticus thought as he ran through the forest.


    Arachnixid their eggs within the protective confines of their cave sanctuaries and could hatch them at any time, using their offspring as a small army.


    ''200 points each for the hunt and more depending on how many of their offspring we kill. It''s no wonder she picked it.'' Atticus thought. Although it was obvious, the points awarded for hunts weren''t uniform; they varied based on the difficulty of the beast.


    ''I should have enough points after this hunt to get something useful from the Emporium,'' Atticus thought.


    He had postponed visiting the Emporium until he had umted enough points, and during this past month, he had gathered quite a substantial amount. He decided that it was finally time to pay a visit to the Emporium after this hunt.


    As they were running through the forest, Nate nced back at Atticus, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Atticus, I bet I can kill more Arachnix newborns than you," he challenged, his voice carrying a hint of yful rivalry.


    Atticus''s lips curled into a knowing smile. "100 points," he responded. ''I won''t say no to free points.''


    Nate chuckled, his excitement evident. "You''re on!" he eximed, quickening his pace to take the lead.


    "I want in!" Sophie dered, her tone eager as she expressed her desire to join in on the fun.


    Atticus chuckled at Sophie''s enthusiasm. "Sure, more points for me then."


    The response made Helena beam but it was ruined by the clicking of a tongue, Helodor''s.