Things got busy once the Regressor’s plan of sticking people into the Omen Machine started in earnest. At first, we were able to find a few thousand volunteers to enter the thing, with the prospect of getting stronger as the motivating force, but new volunteers quickly dried up once the first few batches made it back out. The tales of pain and suffering that those Aspirants told were enough to discourage all but the most hardcore and desperate from choosing to go into the thing willingly. It's not as if I could blame them; the prospect of dying miserably over and over didn't sit well with even the strongest-willed people, and to make it worse, they didn't even know when the Regressor would take them out of the thing. It just sounded like hell to me.

  It was only then that the true nature of the Abyss guild was shown. Now that I think about it, I was questioning why anyone would think that an organization known as the Abyss would be all rainbows and sunshine. It’s like those ridiculous movies where the antagonist was called Dr. Sinister or some crap, and the good guys are all surprised when Dr. Sinister turns out to be, shockingly, evil. The name kind of gave it away.

  But anyway, once Pandora saw that they were fed lies and false promises, and more importantly, saw that the leader of the city-state could literally force its inhabitants to do whatever they said through the power of the system, dissent and unrest started to follow real quick. This first wave of resistance didn’t last long, as Vadeem’s enforcers and Noel’s secret police made short work of the most vocal advocates for the guild’s downfall. They weren’t exactly subtle this time either, and I was finally privy to Noel’s more… extreme acts. It was not a pleasant sight.

  Of course, the hard-handed, authoritarian approach could only last so long. Fear, no matter how extreme, would be inured over time, and that feeling would only lessen as the source of the fear becomes a daily occurrence. Hell, these Trials themselves were a testament to that face; where the Aspirants were once cowering from every shadow, they were now thriving. In other words, I’d give the new residence a few days before the fear becomes anger.

  I waited for the third day to strike, just long enough for the dissent to brew, but not so quickly that it would seem strange or arouse suspicion. With Noe’s new perception abilities, I was able to sneak my way into the newest group of victims that had just exited the Torture- er, Omen Machine. It was time to build up a nascent resistance group.

  “You guys okay?” I muttered to one of the more miserable batches of Aspirants.

  A negligible amount of luck charges pointed me toward the best possible group to initiate my plan. These three looked like they had their spirits beaten out of them, forcibly inserted back, then beaten again. Their lifeless eyes barely reached my own when I asked them. Ah, I guess I’ll have to up my game a little.

  I took out a potion, an expensive one from Yoona’s stash that should help with mental fatigue as much as physical woes, and all but shoved it into the hands of the lead Aspirant. He was a haggard-looking man wearing sweat-drenched overalls - they weren't allowed proper equipment entering - which wasn’t bad considering that his companions looked even worse. I compelled him to drink the offered potion, and he did so, almost mindlessly so, but the elixir did its trick almost immediately.

  His eyes cleared as the worst of the mental anguish retreated and he finally gazed at me with some semblance of awareness in his eyes. I gave the other two the same treatment.

  “Th… thank you,” the disheveled man said, the other two also thanked me, but from their postures, it was clear that this guy was their leader. “That… I don’t…”

  I put a hand up and indicated for him to calm down first. “Calm down first, man. I know, I got sent in there before as well. I know what it’s like.”

  He did as instructed, and I immediately recognized that lapse in judgment that resulted from my Charisma. It wasn’t as pronounced as it was with baseline humans who would believe literally anything I said, but it was certainly strong enough to instantly build up a rapport. They trusted me implicitly, and they didn’t even know it.

  “Sorry, it’s just…” the man shuddered again before taking another sip of the potion, “That was awful. I’ve never felt more powerless before! And the Abyss guild… those-”

  “Those pieces of shit,” I finished for him, “I know. I can’t believe I fell for that fucking propaganda crap. Friends of the Aspirants? Inclusive and equitable? All fucking lies! Now that Kim fucker’s acting like a true dictator, no more petty lies, right after we’ve elected him to office. He’s got the streets filled with his police sending honest folks to the goddamn Gulag like it's the 1940's.”

  Lady Awesome: That’s me! I’m the one sending those people to the Gulag! Put in a good word about the awesome Lady Noel, little bro boss! Oh oh, or you can make me super evil too if you want!

  Vadeem the Dream: Stop bothering Walter! He’s working! And why are you sending the message over the guild line? We can’t spy on him like you can, we don’t even know what he’s saying!

  Lady Awesome: He's saying stuff like-

  Jae-Hyun: Stop sending messages, that’s an order.

  Lady Awesome: Boo!

  “Is something wrong?” one of the other Aspirants asked, concern clear on his face.

  I shook my head, trying my best not to curse at Noel’s stupidity aloud. “Sorry, my anger got the better of me for a second.”

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  “I get that,” their leader answered. “And thanks for the potion. How much was it? We’ll pay you back.”

  I chuckled and waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s hard enough right now with us living under a damned dictatorship, I’m not going to sink to their level and screw over my fellow comra-" I cleared my throat at the awkward choice of words. "I mean friends. Come on, I think you three need a meal after that, I find some booze and food helps with the worst of the trauma.”

  They didn’t argue with that, not that I doubted they’d argue with much I’d say in any case, not if its agreeable to them. And so, I led the three, and a few more of the more coherent ones, to one of the shadier bars in town. We passed by an army of Abyss security details as we made our way over, which scared the others quite a bit before I decided to lighten the mood a little by flipping them all off when they weren’t looking. I didn’t do this just because it was fun, although that was a big part of the reason, but rather, it’s because I had to cultivate a certain image for my new followers. I had to present myself as a leader who didn’t fear the influence of Kim Jae-Hyun, so these crude, brazen actions were important while I was still building a following.

  “Bartender!” I said as we entered the establishment, “You still have those private rooms available to rent? A large one, if possible. I have some new friends who desperately need a drink.”

  He gave me a worrying look, giving the newcomers a once over, but nodded at the end. But then again, I knew he would do that; I had arranged it to be the case since the start, not to mention that this particular establishment belonged exclusively to the Abyss guild already. The others didn’t need to know that, however.

  The gruff gentleman behind the bar nodded at me and I tossed him a sack of coins. He grunted a response and nodded toward one of the back rooms.

  “Thanks, Sal. And send in some drinks and food, as much as you can manage. Keep it on my tab.”

  The bartender nodded and went back to his work, not giving the rest of us any more of his time.

  The small group of Aspirants looked at me with awe, as even that small display of ability had them gravitate around me. And it made sense. After they were so utterly defeated and, not to mention betrayed, seeing someone still willing to stand up for them without asking for anything in return must have been refreshing. They were willing to cling on to anyone who seemed able at this point, and that’s without mentioning the absurd Charisma I had... and the hundred or so Luck Charges I’d dumped into making them mellow and obedient didn't hurt either.

  Once I entered the private room - a rather spacious one with two separate tables that could easily accommodate the dozen or so Aspirants I brought in - I closed the door behind us and conspicuously placed one of those paper talismans that the Director gave me on the door. They were meant to be burnt so that I’d avoid the Trash Matrix’s attention, sure, but the normal Aspirants didn’t know that. I used it because it looked cool, with its eldritch scribblings etched on the surface.

  “That,” I pointed with a smile, “Will keep our conversations private. Away from any spying eyes, if you will.”

  Lady Awesome: Nu-uh! I can totally still see- Ow! Why’d you hit me, Vadeem?

  Vadeem the Dream: Sorry, Walter, I just found this idiot. We'll keep her occupied and unobtrusive.

  I ignored the idiot in the background and saw that the others weren’t convinced. Well, it was time to make a demonstration, albeit not one of my usual spectacles.

  “Let me prove it to you.” I cleared my throat theatrically. “THE ABYSS GUILD, AND ALL OF ITS GOD DAMN WORTHLESS MEMBERS, ARE TRASH! KIM JAE-HYUN IS A DICTATOR AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS INJUSTICE! DOWN THE WITH ABYSS GUILD!”

  The others all tensed up once they heard me shout such dangerous lines. They knew full well what it would mean if such words were leaked, and the fear of being associated with a madman who could shout such things was clear in their eyes. However, once the long minutes passed and absolutely nothing happened, their tension eased, and hope once again started to spark within their eyes.

  I had to use Noe to bend my voice a little so that my shouts weren’t heard outside this room - it wasn’t like this random bar was soundproof - but even if one of Vadeem or Noel’s men had heard me, they wouldn’t be able to do much… well, not that they’ll be around here in any case. My two friends had given them explicit instructions to ignore and avoid this bar for the next few days.

  “As you can see,” I said, raising my hands up as if I were daring anyone to do something, “Nothing’s happening. Those fools at the Abyss guild are not all-powerful, they might control the streets, but they can’t control our lives or our thoughts!”

  “That is quite the cheesy line, my Host,” Noe quipped.

  Yeah yeah, I’m not exactly the best motivational speaker here. I’m usually doing the opposite.

  “Your words work either way, so keep the cheesy lines up.”

  And Noe was right, I was once again at the center of attention. The others subconsciously lowered themselves to be closer to the ground and they gazed up to me reverently. Hell, even the booze was briefly forgotten about as they awaited what I was going to say next. Charisma was a hell of a drug.

  I smiled as brilliantly as I could and raised a glass in the air. “But first, friends, let us drink. Let us feast! We have endured hell, and we have found hell wanting!”

  Cheers erupted from all corners of the room and as if my signal broke the floodgates, the Aspirants all started to drink and eat and party. Their woes were momentarily forgotten as the alcohol did its work. I’ve always found that an inebriated brain was the most malleable, so I took that opportunity to speak with each of the gathered members and implant some important information in their psyches.

  In other words, I was brainwashing ‘em to gather other disgruntled Aspirants to the cause, but I made sure that only the ones who were most distraught should be reached out to. I was sure that almost everyone hated the Regressor, at least a little, at the moment. After all, he pulled a 180 and went full dictator within a week of his rise to power. However, just because everyone was unhappy didn’t mean that everyone was an equal threat. I’d say the majority of the people would fall in line before long and wouldn’t harbor any thoughts of rebellion. It was the small percentage of people who had the potential to raise up that was the problem.

  “Now be careful,” I said to the last individual, who just so happened to be the dude I first spoke with. “We’re not powerful enough to fight back against the Abyss guild right now, not when we’re still growing. If we don’t vet the people that we meet, then there’s a real chance that our resistance will be leaked.”

  The other man’s eyes hardened, but he nodded once he saw the logic behind my words. “So that’s why you approached me… did you always know that I had the ability to detect emotions?”

  Of course not... But that doesn’t mean that Noe doesn’t, or at least her Luck Algorithm in any case.

  “It’s one of the reasons, yes,” I said with a cryptic smile. “I was hoping you could help the others. We’re at a very precarious position right now, and we can’t afford to make mistakes.”

  He glanced over at the others, seeing them all excited and hopeful once more, and his expression hardened. “Yeah, you’ll have my support.”

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