Strongest Hammer God

Chapter 1171: Verification Status

Kyle and the Protector looked at each other in silence.

'Man, for a second there I thought that she got me,' Kyle thought. 'Luckily for me, my Human Avatar used to be Fierce Breaker. My hammer used to be Kyle. However, since I've become a Legendary Ascendant, my Avatars united and became one thing, allowing me to make a second Human and Weapon Avatar.'

'Yet, since my second Human Avatar uses my first Human Avatar as a baseline, it also shares Fierce Breaker's past. That's what happens when you bend the rules too much. Strange things happen. I'm still surprised that Fierce Breaker had a conflict with Inner World or the Grand Exchange. I mean, he also became a Legendary Crusher. I guess he had a conflict with some of their sub-Organizations.'

"Yes, I used to be Fierce Breaker," Kyle said with a sigh. "I hope you understand why I wanted to keep that secret."

"What happened to the real Kyle?" the Protector asked.

"As far as I know, he died," Kyle answered.

"How do you know that?" the Protector asked.

"I mean, I can't be entirely sure. However, I'm pretty sure that he's dead," Kyle replied.

The Protector looked at Kyle for a while. "The real Kyle was a suspected member of the Cult of Final Fate, and he had a connection with you. I hope you can understand that this puts you in a difficult situation. I have a duty to protect the interests of the Wargod's Peak."

"Fine," Kyle answered with a sigh. "The person known as Kyle, Descending Mountain, and Azure Comet has died, according to what I know. I can't be completely sure, but I'm almost certain that he is dead. If he somehow survived, I seriously have no idea where he is or what he's doing. I swear on my life."

The Protector looked at Kyle for a moment.

Nothing happened.

After all, Kyle hadn't lied. The real Kyle had died in the Gate of Death. The hammer that remained had been his Elemental, which had simply included Kyle's memories in its mind.

"Was Kyle once a member of the Cult of Final Fate?" the Protector asked.

"Pretty sure, yeah," Kyle answered.

"Have you once been a member of the Cult of Final Fate?" she asked.

"The Fusion makes identities a bit confusing," Kyle answered, "but I can swear that Fierce Breaker was never a member of the Cult of Final Fate. I also haven't interacted with the Cult in any way ever since I underwent my Fusion. I swear on my life."

The Protector furrowed her brows. "There is a gap in your statement. You swore two separate oaths when you could have just sworn one."

"Alright, then, what about this?" Kyle asked. "I swear that I used to be the person known as Fierce Breaker before my Fusion, and that Fierce Breaker is the very Fierce Breaker that you most likely think I am. That very same Fierce Breaker was not part of the Cult. Ever since I changed my title to Kyle, I also have not interacted with the Cult in any way. I swear on my life."

The Protector looked at Kyle for a bit before nodding. "That's good enough."

Kyle's oath was perfect and left no loopholes.

Kyle was Fierce Breaker before his Fusion, and Fierce Breaker was not associated with the Cult. Kyle had not interacted with the Cult after his Fusion. The only opening would be during his Fusion, but that wouldn't really be feasible.

"One last question before I close the investigation," the Protector said. "Can you swear that you are currently not in contact with anyone from the Cult and that you are not working for them?"

Kyle nodded. "I swear on my life that I have no contact with the Cult. I swear that I am not a member. I swear that I feel no loyalty towards the Cult. Is that good enough?"

The Protector nodded. "That is good enough. I have upgraded your verification status as a sign of goodwill. This may prove useful in the future."

Kyle looked at his Communicator, and he found that his verification status had increased by a couple of levels.

The stronger a Seeker became, the more dangerous they were. Because of that, the big Organizations investigated powerful Seekers more than weaker Seekers. Having a Primal Parasite was not as bad as having an Immortal Parasite in one's Organization.

Every Sage or stronger had to go through some limited verifications. Kyle and Sebastian had gone through them when they became official citizens of the Wargod's Peak. This gave them the basic verification status.

The next higher level was the advanced verification status. In order to get that one, the Seeker needed to swear that they were not affiliated with the Cult in front of an official member of their Empire. The Immortals could go through this verification process in Wild's Summit, if they wanted to.

The next level was the strongly verified status. Acquiring this status requires undergoing a Karmic Origin Search and going through an interview with a Lord official or stronger. Kyle had received this level of verification.

The highest level was the secured verification status. To get that one, one needed to swear that they would never help the Cult, no matter what happened. Surprisingly few Organizations and roles required one to swear such an oath. The reason was the draconian nature of permanent oaths and the infinite possibilities of time.

The Cosmos and the Cult were brutal enemies, but nothing was eternal. There might be a small chance that the Cult and the Cosmos would work together in the future, no matter how impossible it seemed right now. There had been wars in the Immortal Dimension that had lasted for millions of years, and some of them hadn't ended with a victor. Sometimes, the two enemies united for a short moment when a bigger threat appeared, and when the threat had been dealt with, some of the parties just stopped fighting each other.

Immortals had no longevity constraints. The war would definitely keep going for millions of years, but what about billions? What about trillions? What if the Cult won but didn't kill everyone? If that happened, the people who swore the oaths wouldn't be allowed to live anymore.

Naturally, most of the Organizations preferred it when people swore such an oath, but history told them that it was a bad idea to force these oaths. Statistics showed that an increase in mandatory verification directly correlated with a significant reduction in new members and a significant drop-off in existing members. That meant that the Organization would not grow as quickly as its rivals.

Kyle's new verification status basically allowed him to skip any kind of investigation, as long as it was about his affiliation with the Cult. As the Protector said, this might come in handy. Getting this verification status wasn't easy.

After all, one had to pay for the Karmic Origin Search. The Wargod's Peak would not pay for it.

"Thank you," Kyle answered. "So, what happens now?"

"You may leave," the Protector answered. "While the Wargod's Peak would love to have you, we're not the Contrast Empire. We will not force you to join us. Just know that our doors will always be open."

"Remember, you are still unaffiliated because the Wargod's Peak values and fosters freedom. If I were from any other Empire, you would not be unaffiliated anymore."

"The Wargod's Peak gave you a choice."

"Others won't."

The author's patreon. If he gets more than 1000 per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.

/user?u=27791050