NOVPUBApollo stared at the young woman in front of him for a moment before a smile formed on his lips.
"Sure," the beggar answered, though deep inside, he couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. "What is your name?"
"R-Rachel," Rachel stuttered with wide eyes. She couldn't believe that their savior was agreeing to her request so easily. "I… I don't know what to say."
"Well, me too," Apollo chuckled as his senses covering her disappeared.
Unfortunately, Rachel only had an average talent in cultivation, just like any other kid in this settlement. Some of them didn't even have the talent to cultivate.
Apollo was actually hoping that she had at least the same talent as Don. With all this trauma, suffering, the atmosphere, and the way she stood in front of that chair, he didn't even need to hear more of her backstory to think that she was some sort of important character in a movie or something. But alas, reality proved his imagination wrong, as Rachel could only be considered average.
It seemed like Don was the only talented individual in SlumStreet.
Still, even though he already knew this, Apollo still accepted her. Talent? The beggar believed it was just the starting point for the journey ahead. Some could have the talent of a century, but if they were not hardworking and just lazed around everywhere, then they were nothing but an average person. 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
There were people without any talent, but as they worked hard to become great, talent became irrelevant, as the final result was what mattered more. Unless, of course, they were like Apollo, who had a god-like talent that made him an expert in everything he set his eyes on.
An anomaly that even Apollo himself began suspecting.
"Let's go out. I will help you guys back to the city," Apollo said while walking towards the entrance.
"City?" Rachel muttered, and it didn't take long for her to realize what their savior meant. "Are we really?"
"Yes," Apollo smiled. "Don't worry, from now on, SlumStreet is welcome in the city."
…
Apollo sat on a rock beside the water stream while the SlumStreet people began cleaning up the area, burying the dead, and praying for them.
As they worked, his eyes wandered to the kids with the talent to cultivate. Apollo didn't want to accept older people as his disciples, as he wanted his first members to be all young men and women. Why? That's because, technically, he was still a kid. It would be weird if an old person called him 'Master.'
Just imagining it made his stomach churn.
Then he saw Rachel praying for the women who had suffered under Tor Callum. Although her talent was only average, Apollo was not too worried.
With the help of the System and the Qidifier in his Beggar Spot, Rachel would improve faster than other average cultivators. Though not as fast as Don, it was still a considerable boost.
Furthermore, there were items in the System Store that he could buy to make Rachel's cultivation speed even faster. So even if his disciples were not that talented, as long as he had Alm Points, he could make them stronger.
That's why earning Alm Points was also their way of getting stronger. Yup, that's right, Apollo thought while nodding to himself.
As the sun was about to set, the SlumStreet people finally finished their work.
Rachel walked towards the beggar, followed by the other kids. "Mr. Saviour… this is all the kids in SlumStreet."
"It's Yoma," Apollo said as he stood up. Then he stared seriously at the six remaining kids. Because of the cruelty of the Silver Armored Guards, these were the only young men and women left—four boys and three girls, including Rachel. "Now that you guys are safe, what are you going to do from now on?"
Hearing the question, the six kids looked at each other before one of them took a deep breath and answered with great determination, "I will train to become a Cultivator just like you, sir!"
"Me too!"
"Us too! I want to have the strength to protect everyone I care for and save people just like us!"
As one answered, the others followed suit. Upon hearing their answers, Apollo couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. Although he really wanted to take them all, what he wanted was different from theirs. If they didn't want to become stronger, then they could do whatever they wanted. Belthias City would surely accept them, and Mathias was a reasonable and good mayor who would do everything he could to make sure SlumStreet didn't feel left out.
There was no need for them to live in fear anymore, and Apollo would accept their decision if they didn't want to follow him. Fortunately, because of his display of might, the kids admired him and wanted to be like him.
"Then, do you want to become my disciples? All of you?" Apollo said, and the moment his words fell, the kids were shocked.
"D-disciple of a Cultivator?" they muttered, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Rachel glanced at them with a small smile on her face.
"We will become your disciples!" they answered at the same time, their eyes shining with excitement and anticipation for their future.
"We don't know the custom for becoming a disciple, but please accept our bows," Rachel said while kneeling on both knees and placing her forehead on the sand.
Seeing this, the other kids followed her example.
The adults, on the other hand, also heard the news, and they burst into tears. To them, as ordinary people, being accepted as a disciple of a Cultivator was no small matter—especially if the person they were going to follow was a strong Cultivator. Seeing one of their own being accepted, the adults were overjoyed, especially the parents of some of the kids.
"No need to do all this," Apollo said with a wave of his hand. "As long as you guys know how to behave, I don't care about all these trifling matters. You don't even need to call me Master if you don't like it. I'm just a chill guy and your friendly neighborhood beggar."
"W-we can't do that," Rachel said with a bitter smile. "After all you've done for us… we couldn't just disrespect you."
"It's disrespectful to me if you behave the way you are behaving right now," Apollo chuckled. "Just think of me as your same-age friend who is just here to help you, alright?"
"If Master says so," Rachel said, the smile on her face turning into a relaxed one. Since they were still new to this Master-and-Disciple relationship, each of the kids was tense. Realizing that their master was just a casual person, they felt more at ease. "By the way, Master, where is Don?"
