Epoch: A Berserker's Rise

Chapter 120: Young Generation

Adam and Klint entered the main all, where they saw a group of orc gathered together. All of them were young, all of them below 30. As Adam pushed Klint in, they all quieted down, they were clearly unexpected.

However, after the initial silence, someone exclaimed "Master!? What are you doing here?"

Adam turned to look at the origin of the voice, and saw a Level 70 Orc was the one who spoke. He had a Mohawk, and was in the center of the room. Actually, after a second glance, he realized that everyone present wasn't dispatched randomly in the room.

At the center of them all, there was an orc girl, a beautiful orc. Even Adam, who was human and thus had human's standard of beauty, he had to admit that she was prettier than most women he had seen in his entire life.

He didn't have to look at her status to guess that she was today's host, Nekli. However, no matter how beautiful she was, she wasn't the reason he was here today. Adam's eyes turned to Morbash, and heard Klint say "I was bored at the workshop, and this fine young man agreed to take me here. Actually, he wanted to meet you."

Morbash's attention had been on his master since he saw him coming in, but hearing his words he looked up at the young man who was pushing his master's wheelchair.

At first he didn't think much, although that person made him feel danger, they were in Yam, where even the guards were peak Gold Ranks, so there were many people who could make him feel danger.

However, when he saw the status of that young man, his eyes widened. Valiant Heart, Level 32. As Morbash was stunned by Adam, the latter greeted him "I finally get to meet you, Morbash. I have literally traveled the whole continent to meet you."

Morbash nodded and said "I Are you the Aqua Sovereign?" Adam showed his thumb at the blacksmith and said "Exactly. I came all the way here because I want you to forge a set for me. But I see you are in the middle of something"

Adam looked at Nekli, the main host of today, and asked "If I'm not wrong, considering the guests, the decoration and the mood It ought to be your birthday, right?"

Nekli wasn't any better than Morbash, she was as stunned as he was. Actually, everyone present couldn't believe what they were seeing. This made Adam realize that maybe he had underestimated his own fame and influence.

After a moment, Nekli nodded and said "It is my 22nd Birthday Do Do you want to join in?" Adam smiled at her and replied "That's nice of you, and I wished I could, but unfortunately I am busy"

One of the orcs, who looked like one of the youngest ones present, asked "Were you really at Neve Dorei?"

Adam looked a the Orc who just spoke, he looked even younger than himself, between 18 and 20, and yet he was already a Level 45 Bronze Rank. Leveling up wasn't as easy for NPCs compared to players, because players weren't afraid of death and had a lot less to worry about in life. An NPC would have to worry about where they would sleep during the night, what they would eat, and where they would get the money to do all that.

But except for this one orc who was a Bronze Rank, everyone present was a Silver Rank, and the older ones were even at the last levels of the Rank.

But despite their level and rank, Adam could feel there was something amiss. Even though everyone present was at least A Classes, with a majority of S Classes, they had all opened at least one Gate and ought to be good fighters.

But he could feel that they were unbelievably weak. Even with the strength of their body and the power coming from their Gates, they were weak. It didn't come from a lack of power, but it felt like he was facing kittens, and not battle hardened warriors

Adam finally understood what was wrong. They all lacked the fierce aura that would appear in someone who went through life and death. It felt like everyone present had never set foot on a battlefield, had never been in a perilous situation.

And he believed that was most probably the case. Before, when he met Yokgu at the fake Orui's Oasis, the situation was the same. Although he was a Sovereign, Yokgu didn't feel as dangerous as he should have been, and he had even said that this was his first time outside Yam.

That's how Adam realized the problem of Yam's younger generation, they were being overprotected! The Five Great Clans, being the strongest powers in Buwog, they most certainly didn't lack extraordinary items like the one Adam used to help his Division Leaders.

They probably had the means to help their younger generation to level up and open the Gates without even facing the outside world. But it seemed it had consequences. Adam felt like even a B Rank could destroy anyone present at the same Level, or maybe even a few levels lower.

Combat experience was a very important aspect of someone's strength too. Even if someone were to open all the Gates, if they never fought then they wouldn't know how to use them.

And this wasn't something that only happened in Yam, but in every power in the world. The elders of the great clans had two options on how to educate their children. They could either give everything to their children, and although they would become weak, they wouldn't be in any danger.

The second option was to lessen their help, and to help their children properly temper themselves. However, this was a dangerous world, and their children could be killed at any time. Most of the elders are people who had to temper themselves at some point in their lives, and they knew better than anyone how brutal life was.

That's why, in every noble clan one could differentiate the members in two categories, those overprotected, and those tempered. For every parent it was a difficult decision to make, let their children be endangered or allow them to live a carefree life.

Funnily, it was usually those parents who led a carefree life that would want their children to be tempered, and those that were tempered that want their children to live a carefree life.

A parent who led a carefree life would never attain a high position in their clan because of the life they led, and as thus they would want for their children to live a better life and achieve something, even if that means endangering their lives.

On the contrary, those that were tempered with, although they are usually in high positions, they had seen through their whole lives their friends die one after another, and know how hard it is to really become someone important.

That's why, even to this day, there were people of both categories everywhere, and this affected everyone. Yokgu, for example, his parents had dotted on him for his whole life, and even though it had already been a few years since he became 18 and capable of leveling up, he had never gotten out of Yam until recently.

And the only reason this happened was because his grandfather, who is a Legend, recently came back from a long trip, and using his influence as a Legend he forced Yokgu out of the Capital.

Actually, there were many young people who wished they could fight, truly fight, but most are afraid, and if they don't have anyone to push them they will never dare to go against their parents.

Yokgu was scared when he first left Yam, as he didn't know his grandfather was watching him, but as the fights went on he became a little more confidant until he met Adam.

And it was the same for the people in Adam's room. The one who had just asked Adam about his Neve Dorei, Adam could see his eyes bright up, he was almost looking at him like he was a hero or something. And he wasn't the only one in the room, he could see that most admired him and his feats.