Immediately next to Lady Iellaya was a rather large man that seemed relatively human shaped His face was covered in thick brown fur forming dense patterns across his skin that looked like he had a thin mesh net stretched across his features There was a small smile playing across his lips as he studied Randidly but RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition immediately pinged as he looked at his man he was the most dangerous one in the room
If an image was a marble it would inevitably slide toward the suppression area around that man And even Randidly was unsure if he could resist the stifling weight the bear man released
Next to that man was someone wearing a Xyrt Brigade uniform leaning back in his chair and seeming quite bored with the whole affair He had messy hair and an extremely large mouth that stretched low along the bottom of his jaw He also had two small horns poking out between his unruly auburn curls He didnÆt seem to notice that Randidly had arrived
Opposite from the two individuals in military uniforms were two women who wore NLC badges Both of their trim pinstripe outfits ponytails and glasses matched each other completely Randidly honestly found it rather impressive that they could resemble each other so closely when one was half a meter taller than the other
Unlike the Xyrt Brigade member the NLC scrutinized every inch of Randidly He had to suppress an urge to scratch his chin as he saw the smaller of the two women staring fixedly at his bare feet
There was nothing on the table in front of the five Most sat with their fingers steepled while the Xyrt Brigade man kept his hands behind his head Randidly was led to a seat immediately below the dias He waffled between reining in Yggdrasil or continuing to allow its energy to diffuse throughout the surroundings but ultimately figured that he should seem consistent with his image even if it would probably come across to these Nexus elite as sloppy He took his seat and tried to seem like a quality candidate
Honestly he wondered what his face was doing at the moment Even a hasty scan with Grim Intuition failed to capture exactly what sort of impression he was radiating
In his mind Randidly began to recall with amusement the few interviews he had gone to before the System arrived on Earth Somehow he didnÆt think that this panel would ask him what his greatest weakness was But just in case he began to run through possible answers in his mind
Probably the easiest and the most appealing would be something like I train too much RandidlyÆs lips twitched No matter where it is bureaucracy is a farce
But to his surprise Randidly found that he didnÆt have to do anything at all Lady Iellaya opened her mouth and began to speak And to the moment he was sent out of the room Randidly was never called on to say anything at all
This is Randidly Ghosthound Lady Iellaya stood and gestured to Randidly who was doing remarkably well at the task of sitting rather mildly in the chair His Yggdrasil image leaked out of the edges of his person and filled the air as she had requested Yet Lady Iellaya couldnÆt help but hesitate before she began his introduction because the sudden change that her words had inspired in the young man was remarkable
All of the latent threat she had sensed in him had vanished after she had sent him that message His body seemed to have restructured itself Even if the power of the GhosthoundÆs image hadnÆt reached an impressive level his prodigious Control over it was shocking Oftentimes Control was what separated an average soldier from an exceptional one
Seeing that casual Control Lady Iellaya felt her eyes narrow briefly it was just more evidence of the vast potential this young man possessed They relied on Lady IellayaÆs position and EdraineÆs raw power from the shadows to position themself currently but it was the irregular existence of Randidly Ghosthound that gave the group hope
He would be the key
Lady Iellaya coughed lightly to stop her mind from wandering further Then she continued her introduction He was assigned to my unit and served diligently specializing in the healing of our image soldiers after Nether attacks His performance was so impressive that he became a direct subordinate of mine by the time the Nether King descended to the battlefield You have all seen the reports his ability to keep his subordinates alive speaks for itself And this was not a fight where any could hide in the rear Commander Ghosthound was at the front with his image constantly He endured the Nether corruption and grew stronger for it Even now his image is pure
She spared another glance for Randidly He seemed rather puzzled but simply waited for her to finish Good Commandant Wick would turn against him if he spoke out of turn even once They couldnÆt afford a single mistake Not after she had been spent days bootlicking for this shot She cleared her throat Commander Ghosthound please display your image within the antechamber
The corner of RandidlyÆs mouth twitched In the next second an enormous tree grew rapidly upward in the space around his body The leaves rustled lightly from a non existent breeze and the massive branches creaked and groaned as the whole structure shifted The color of the bark was rich and varied as the tree continued to grow upward
In terms of detail Randidly really had improved The tree that manifested in the room caught the eye of the viewers and held it The life giving energy it released was apparent and abundant It was not singular but the effect was certainly compelling The benefits he could provide to the soldiers underneath his command was obvious
Or at least Lady Iellaya hoped it was so
Beyond the healing aura Commander Ghosthound is also able to spread out a veritable sea of thorny roots toward foes Lady Iellaya continued They can defeat the average Nether Beast with ease and at least slow Nether Gatekeepers down For the same reason he is uniquely suited to observe and interact with a large group of individuals at once With his high Perception and Control he is a premier candidate to train our elites
Have him try and manifest his roots within the room The Special Investigator from the Xyrt Brigade grunted Then he smiled cheekily over at Lady Iellaya She pressed her lips into a line but didnÆt say anything She knew she didnÆt have to
A split second later a physical tree rapidly grew out of the ground in front of Randidly Ghosthound to match the spectral one hanging over him Randidly didnÆt even find the request strange Thick and dangerous roots lined with thorns rolled around the periphery of the tree like drunken snakes Meanwhile the five people sitting at the panel straightened their eyes widening They stared captivated at the very real tree in front of them as its roots steadily slithered outward and its trunk thickened Even the Special Investigator sat up and stared solemnly at Randidly
The smaller of the two individuals from the NLC blinked rapidly attempted to figure out what was going on in front of her Even through the seals on this space
For his part Randidly seemed rather confused by their aghast reaction But just as soon as the serious note entered into the Special Investigator’s eyes while he gazed at Randidly he snorted and leaned back in his chair Ha very funny He didnÆt generate these he simply inflated biological matter that was already present in the room Truly what a nice parlor trick you arranged for us
If you wanted a better test of his capabilities Lady Iellaya said with relish laid thick across every word You should have asked for one
Then she smiled widely at him
That certainly silenced the Special Investigator It also ran the risk of earning his ire but Lady Iellaya figured it was a worthy gamble considering the fact he had abstained from every vote thus far seeing the Special Investigator mocked would improve the CommandantÆs mood She spared a small look to the side The man positively hummed with glee His eyes were almost hidden within the laugh lines around his eyes At least on that count it would appear that she had succeeded Hopefully this good cheer would be enough to sway his vote