Infinite Potential System

Elsewhere in the Azures Continent, thousands of Cultivators were gathered after exiting a series of large portals. These were the same portals created by Tenebris' subordinate, which sent everyone that passed through to a large cave in the Hillvire Empire.

This wasn't the main headquarters for Retribution, rather just a temporary one that would allow the organization to screen each potential new member.

Once they were screened, only then would they be sent to the real location. Since they had made enemies with the Yu Royal Family, Retribution couldn't allow their headquarters to be compromised.

Among the group of prospective Retribution members was Jenny and Briar, who had still decided to go through the portal despite William's warning.

Regardless of Retribution's stance towards William, it really didn't have much to do with them. They weren't at risk of being targeted, and they weren't nearly strong enough to be tasked to go after William.

The lines were split up by place of origin, so Briar and Jenny ended up in the same group, among a few other villagers from Thin Creek Village that had also passed through the portal. Their identities were registered with a few cloaked individuals wearing masks and white gloves, then they were passed along to a small testing area to verify their strength.

It was a simple test, the only requirements to launch a spell of each Element at a target dummy and allow someone to record the results. The scores were mostly just as a formality, since almost everyone would be placed at the lowest rank in the beginning and would climb the ranks later depending on their performance.

None of the examiners cared if anyone concealed or diminished their skills, though they were told that talented Cultivators would receive extra benefits that might improve their chances of promoting.

After everyone finished the screening and examination, the ones that passed were teleported through a secondary portal that led to a massive underground auditorium. They were asked to take their seats, then Tenebris walked up to the podium for a quick speech.

"Welcome all, to Retribution. While this organization has already existed for over a hundred years, this is the first time we have recruited on a large-scale. That being said, I hope you all find the arrangements sufficient enough for the time being."

He walked away from the podium but continued speaking. "Many of you are part of other organizations. You don't need to worry about abandoning them, however I hope you don't try to reveal anything about me or Retribution to the outside world. The Arrays placed on you during the screening should prevent that, but you may find yourselves missing a tongue."

Hearing Tenebris' words, a few that had been excited to join Retribution were suddenly having second thoughts. Who would do such a thing to their own people?

The Players weren't as deterred, since losing their tongue in-game was a terrible debuff, but didn't have the same permanent effect that it would the NPCs. Their eyes sparkled as they found Tenebris to be more badass than they expected.

"Since we have a lot of new members, I'm going to explain the various ranks of Retribution and what they mean." Tenebris said after a short pause.

"The lowest rank, which you will be placed at, are called Followers. Each group of ten Followers will be led by a Redeemer, who will serve as a team lead of sorts. You will report to your Redeemer every night when on duty, and once every few weeks when not."

Tenebris only made up these ranks recently, since they previously had such a small group and they only dealt with enslaved people. Given the inflow of recruits, however, their old system would no longer be effective.

Someone raised their hand. "When are we on and off-duty?"

"Good question," Tenebris said.

"You are on duty whenever we have an important mission, although those in secluded Cultivation or preparing for a breakthrough are exempt from this. If there is no ongoing mission, you choose when you are on or off duty. If you are off-duty, however, you will not be provided any resources, and your seniority won't advance."

Many of the Players groaned when hearing this. Isn't this like working a day job? At a day job, you only get paid when you're at work, and time spent not working isn't beneficial at all!

On the other hand, they enjoyed the flexibility that came with joining Retribution. It at least meant that they wouldn't be constantly tied down by something.

Tenebris continued, "Above the Redeemers are the Region Leaders, and above them is me. There are a few other specialized roles in Retribution, but this about covers all the basics. Are there any other questions?"

Another person raised their hand, then stood up to speak. "You mentioned resources, what do we get when we are on duty?"

"Each month, your Redeemer will be provided a set number of resources, which include Mana Stones, rare treasures found during your missions, or even Techniques that Retribution has gathered over the years.

The number of resources provided will entirely depend on your team's performance. They have the authority to distribute the resources among the group, meaning you best stay on their good side at all times.

Of course, a Redeemer that takes advantage of their subordinates has no place in our organization, so you can report any such issues to one of the Region Leaders directly, who will initiate an investigation and punish your Redeemer if necessary."

The person who raised their hand nodded and sat back down. There were no further questions, so Tenebris said a few more words and then posted a list of teams, their duty location, and their registered Redeemers on the wall behind him.

Jenny and Briar were on different teams, but they would be operating in the same general area. With Jenny's affiliation with the Guild Hall and Briar's status as an Adventurer, they were both placed in optional off-duty for the time being, which could be changed at any time after speaking to their Redeemer.

The person in charge of Briar was a young man named Glen, whose disinterest in the position was apparent the moment he laid eyes on him. Glen's eyes were covered in dark circles that accentuated his exhaustion, and the man's clothing looked like it hadn't been washed in a while.

After leaving the Gravitas Ruins, Glen had been tortured for weeks as punishment for losing track of not only William, but a few other slaves that were in the Gravitas Ruins.

Given his strength and unique skills, Glen wasn't demoted and instead placed in a leadership role over new recruits after advancing his Cultivation to the Golden Core Realm, but his movements were limited and being a Redeemer ensured that he would forever be tied to the organization he so loathed.

In charge of Jenny, however, was a fair-skinned woman with long, light-brown hair, and bright blue eyes that looked like the ocean at first glance. Her name was Cynthia, and she was a mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator with three Elemental Affinities.

Judging by the reactions of some other new recruits, Cynthia was one of the strongest Redeemers in the organization, just a few stages shy of qualifying to be a Region Leader.