Chapter 184: Whore

Kalon did not have school the day after the final.

That suited him. It gave him time to contact Atlas about his offer.

Forty-eight hours had not passed yet, but there was no point dragging it out. If the offer was real, he wanted to see the inside of it properly.

Atlas Corporation headquarters sat in the upper business district of London, a black-glass tower with no public signage beyond a crest at the gate.

Security checked his name once, then stopped treating him like a visitor. They knew who he was, and one of the staff members even asked for an autograph.

That same staff member led him through a private lift and into a high floor corridor that stayed quiet all the way to the end.

Atlas Greatest was already in the room when Kalon entered.

He was alone. The office was wide with a glass wall overlooking the city and Atlas standing near it with a drink in one hand, half-black half-white hair neat as always. The pressure of his presence filled the space without effort.

"Manchester," Atlas said. "Punctual. That is good."

"You told me to come within forty-eight hours."

"I did, but most young men would leave it to the last moment." Atlas turned from the glass fully. "Sit if you want."

Kalon stayed standing.

Atlas studied him for a moment, not in a rush.

"You handled my children with eass," he said. "Sun overcommitted when her light stopped working the way she expected. Moon split his attention and paid for it, hehe the fool... You punished both mistakes without dragging out the match. I commend you for it."

"They were strong," was all Kalon said in respect.

"They are strong," Atlas corrected. "You’re stronger. That’s the reason we’re having this conversation."

He took a slow drink, then continued.

"Most students who beat a favoured pair come in here talking too much. They want praise. They want to hear how special they are. You’re not doing that."

"I came for the offer," Kalon said. "Not to give you a speech. I don’t think that’s my style."

Atlas’s mouth twitched, almost amused.

"Good. Then I’ll keep it short. The tournament proved what I needed to see. Multi-affinity combat. Composure under public pressure. The ability to finish strong opponents without losing sight of your plan. That puts you above the normal recruitment channel."

A crystal tablet on the side table lit up. Atlas tapped a few buttons on it.

"I’ve pinged you the contract. Have a look through it."

「Sponsor Contract — Atlas Corporation」

— Sponsor Rank: Diamond

— Decision Window: 7 days

[Monthly Payment]

— £85,000

[Core Benefits]

— Private high-rank training facilities

— Priority access to Diamond-tier recovery and medical services

— Custom affinity-compatible combat gear

— Legal and media protection under Atlas authority

— Direct clearance for sanctioned pro circuit entry after review (Skip through Academy years)

— Upgrade support up to High Diamond-rank

— Personal logistics staff on request

— Upper Class Housing

[Requirements]

— Represent Atlas Corporation in official appearances when scheduled

— Maintain active competitive progression

— No exclusive secondary sponsor during provisional term

— one year minimum contracting

— Train lower rankers within the organisation when available

Kalon read the contract..

It was a strong contract. Better than the Ten Dragons provisional by a wide margin. The money alone changed his position overnight. The facilities and protection were great too. He could even skip through the academy years and go straight to the pro scene.

On top of that, the requirements were nothing crazy. The only thing Kalon was sceptical about was training the lower ranks, but it still wasn’t too bad.

"This is better than I expected," Kalon said.

"It should be," Atlas replied. "If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t deserve the spot as one of the highest ranking organisations in the country. You have one week to give your response."

Kalon nodded once.

"I’ll read it again before I decide."

Atlas turned back toward the glass slightly, already done with the meeting..

Kalon left the office with the contract package logged in his system.

...

The staff member who had brought him up was no longer waiting in the corridor. Kalon chose a direction and started walking, assuming the main lift line would reconnect further down.

The headquarters was larger inside than it looked from the street. Identical black doors. Clean side halls. No public signs.

After two wrong turns, he realised he was off the guest route.

He stopped outside a half-closed door when he heard movement inside.

Kalon pushed the door open.

The office was small. A side records room, from the look of the shelves.

It was nothing remarkable... Until it was.

In that room, Sun was bent over the desk with her training bottoms around one ankle and the plain-faced low-level secretary behind her, hips flush against her ass, clearly mid-thrust.

Sun’s once-glorious blonde hair was messy. Her hands were braced on the desk. The secretary looked mid-climax stunned for half a second before panic spread across his face.

Sun’s head snapped up.

The moment she saw Kalon, pure fear hit her expression.

"Out," she snapped at the secretary. "Now. Leave."

The man scrambled backwards, yanking his clothes into place with shaking hands. He did not look at Kalon. He did not speak. He fled into the corridor like the room was on fire.

Sun stayed where she was for a second too long, exposed and dishevelled, then dragged her bottoms back up with stiff, angry movements.

Her face was red. She had been caught.

"I-it’s not what it looks like," she said immediately. The words came out too fast.

Kalon remained in the doorway.

He did not step in. He did not act shocked. After the seduction screen he had already seen on her, this was no surprise to him.

With the secretary though...

"Don’t worry," he said. "I don’t care enough to tell Atlas."

Sun’s hands clenched at her sides.

"That’s... that’s not what I’m worried about." Her voice was quivering. "I don’t care if you tell my father. I just don’t want you to think I’m some whore."

Kalon stood there and scratched his head.

It was a little too late for that.