Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 209: Three Factions

Everyone quieted down.

Even Evelyn and Ryan, who had been eyeing Ethan and the others with suspicion, could sense something was off. Though they still harbored thoughts of squeezing more money out of the situation, they wisely chose to keep their mouths shut.

The courtyard fell into silence.

After a while, it was Ethan who broke the quiet.

"Why are you all so afraid of the Ninth Division?"

The moment he asked the question, the three Chase siblings stared at him in shock. Ryan shook his head and walked out of the room without a word. Evelyn pursed her lips and turned away, refusing to look at him. Leeroy hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "You… you're not new recruits to the Ninth Division, are you?"

Ethan and his companions exchanged awkward glances before slowly nodding.

Leeroy's expression shifted to one of realization, as if he had expected this. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, leaving the room in suspense.

Finally, Evelyn stepped in. "You do know that the Ninth Division is split into three factions, right?"

Ethan's curiosity was piqued. This was news to him.

"Care to fill us in? Do we need to pay you for this info?" Ethan asked, trying to sound casual.

Evelyn took a deep breath, ready to explain, but then seemed to deflate. "Forget it. No amount of money will help us now. We can't stay here much longer anyway. Sooner or later, we'll have to leave. It's just… when Grandpa comes back… he won't find us…"

Her voice trailed off, and tears welled up in her eyes. She began to sob softly.

Ethan and his friends were taken aback by her sudden emotional outburst. Leeroy quickly moved to comfort her.

From Leeroy's words, Ethan pieced together the reason for Evelyn's distress. The courtyard they were standing in was about to be seized. The property, a historically protected building, had been gifted to the state by Dr. Aldric, their grandfather. But since his disappearance over a year ago, the family's right to live there was hanging by a thread. If Dr. Aldric wasn't declared dead within the next few months, they would lose their residency rights. Eviction was inevitable.

Evelyn had been holding onto hope that her grandfather would return one day. That hope had kept her going, even as she struggled to keep the Mercer Wellness Center afloat.

After Leeroy managed to calm Evelyn down, he turned back to Ethan and the others, picking up where Evelyn had left off.

Ethan and his friends were not only new to the Ninth Division but also completely unaware of the hidden world that existed beneath the surface of ordinary society. They were like complete novices, unfamiliar with the rules and intricacies of this secretive organization.

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Through their conversation with Leeroy, they began to learn more.

The Ninth Division was currently divided into three factions: the Originalists, the Dissenters, and the Unaligned.

The Dissenters had emerged within the last thirty years. They had begun to handle matters in their own way, disregarding the original rules and regulations of the Ninth Division. Their methods were more brutal and efficient, but they often crossed ethical lines.

The Originalists, on the other hand, had repeatedly tried to curb the rise of the Dissenters. But the Dissenters didn't play by the rules, making them a formidable and unpredictable force.

Over the years, many of the old guard from the Originalists had mysteriously died off. As a result, the Originalists had begun to decline, while the Dissenters gradually took control of the Ninth Division.

The Unaligned, as the name suggested, were those who hadn't joined either faction. They lived quietly, avoiding contact with the Ninth Division as much as possible. In essence, they were the outcasts of the organization. Most were either new recruits or individuals without enough power to be worth recruiting by either faction. There were also a few older members who wanted to quietly exit the Ninth Division, disillusioned by its direction.

In short, the Unaligned had the least influence within the Ninth Division.

Initially, the Chase siblings had hoped Ethan and his group were part of the Originalists, believing they might offer some protection. But when they learned that Ethan and his friends were new recruits, they assumed they were Unaligned. This realization left Evelyn deeply frustrated.

Now, Evelyn was ready to give up on her grandfather's legacy—Dr. Aldric's estate and leave to lay low for a while.

As Leeroy explained all this, Ethan and his companions began to piece things together. Was the mysterious organization Celeste had mentioned—the one infiltrating the Ninth Division, actually manipulating the Dissenters from behind the scenes? If so, it made sense why Celeste had intervened to save the Rubber Man earlier.

Thinking back, it was no wonder Celeste had urged them to leave the Ninth Division when they were in Shadow Lynx Village. The situation was far more complicated than they had imagined.

At the time, Celeste had been severely weakened by the Shadow Eater parasite and had been on the brink of death. She had seen potential in Ethan, hoping to introduce him to Director Vaughn. Her plan was for Ethan to infiltrate the enemy's ranks. If that was the case, Celeste and Vaughn were likely part of the Originalists.

But plans rarely go as expected. Not only had Celeste survived, but through a twist of fate—and with the combined efforts of Morzan and Ethan—she had managed to fully absorb Doe's soul energy and gain control over the Drum, a relic that granted her the ability to command the legendary creature, Candle Abyss.

Though, in Ethan's opinion, Candle Abyss wasn't as formidable as the legends made it out to be. Earlier, he had seen its power extend only about a kilometer, creating a stark contrast between light and darkness. While impressive, it was far from the world-altering force the stories described.

Ethan glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight. Just as he was about to ask where Ryan had gone, he heard a shout from outside.

"It's time! Come out and help!"

Ethan and his friends stepped outside to find Ryan dressed in a traditional robe, holding a wooden sword. They weren't sure what kind of wood it was, but they guessed it might be peach wood, given the outfit's resemblance to the iconic ghost-hunting movies that had once been wildly popular.

Ryan stood in front of a table laden with incense and ritual items, looking every bit the part of a seasoned exorcist. He waved the wooden sword around dramatically, though Ethan and the others had no idea what he was doing. If they had to guess, based on movies and TV shows, he was probably performing some kind of ritual.

Just then, Leeroy emerged from the house and called out, "Ryan, stop messing around. They're Unaligned."

Ryan froze mid-swing, nearly twisting his back. He turned to Leeroy, confused. "What did you say?"

Leeroy glanced at Ethan and his friends, a little embarrassed, but repeated, "I said, they just joined the Ninth Division!"

"Damn it! What a waste of effort. I thought we'd finally caught a break with a couple of Energy Users, one of whom can even project his Soul Sense. I was hoping we could avoid disaster this time!"

Ryan threw the wooden sword to the ground in frustration, yanked off his robe, and tossed it aside. He grabbed a black clay jar from the table and hurled it toward Ethan.