Training, Trials, and Guild Decisions

The next day, Corvin and Zaren were training together. As they sparred in the forest clearing, Corvin swung his fist at Zaren's stomach. Zaren blocked the punch in an instant. In a quick move, Corvin tried a second punch toward Zaren's face. Startled, Zaren vanished in a flash.

Corvin stopped and muttered, "Where did he go?"

Then, suddenly, he sensed Zaren was right behind him. In an instant, Zaren appeared and punched him, sending Corvin stumbling and thrown against a tree. The punch was not too harsh. As Corvin fell to the ground, Zaren moved in for another punch. Corvin cried out, "I surrender! I surrender!"

Zaren immediately stopped, smiled, and said, "You are improving day by day."

Corvin then asked, "Can we stop this training for today?"

Zaren replied, "Ah! Okay, if you wish," and Corvin smiled to himself and said to himself Yess!, relieved.

After a short pause, Zaren asked, "Huh! What did you say, Corvin?"

Corvin hesitated and said nothing at first, then finally asked, "Hey bro, have you chosen a guild for yourself yet? Because there are three major guilds in this kingdom."

(For example, one guild is the Celestis Guild, another is the Aetheris Guild, and the third is the Arcanum Guild.)

He continued, "Each guild has only two highest ranked hunters—the SS Rank Guild Master and an S Rank Vice Guild Master. But now that you are SS Rank, the guilds will be very interested in you."

Zaren thought, I have only seen two guilds so far. But there is another one…

He said, "Corvin, I have only seen two guilds. Should we check out the third one? Come with me."

Corvin replied, "Okay, let's go."

Then we see a new scene. In a nearby dungeon, we see a girl named Maria fighting. She was in a B-Rank Dungeon, but she was an S Rank hunter and the Vice Guild Master of that guild. As they watched, a huge wolf approached from behind her. In a single, swift move, Maria jumped and cut off the wolf's head. The wolf was very powerful, and it was the boss of the Dungeon—but Maria killed him with one blow. Her teammates, a mix of four A Rank and five B Rank hunters led by their raid leader, were shocked at how quickly she defeated the beast.

Vice Guild Master said, "This Dungeon is now cleared! Let's go get the monster's head for proof."

Later, Zaren and Corvin reached the gate of the last guild Zaren wanted to see. Inside, the guild hall was similar to the other two. At the receptionist's desk, the receptionist asked, "Sir, what is your rank?"

Zaren replied, "SS Rank," and all the hunters nearby gasped. The receptionist looked shocked.

Receptionist said, "Sir, one minute—I must inform our Guild Master and Vice Guild Master."

But Zaren interrupted, "Actually, first I want to measure my friend's power. I want to know his rank."

Corvin protested, "Yeah, actually it's me—I want to measure my power."

A murmur of disapproval rose among those gathered, and some began whispering, "Huh, this commoner... I guess his rank will be E Rank—bloody loser!"

Angered by the insults, Zaren shouted, "Enough! Do you want death?"

Corvin quickly added, "Bro, it's okay. We are all looked down upon sometimes because of commoner or noble differences. Let me prove my power first."

The receptionist hesitated, then said in a shaky voice, "Okay, sir." She handed over a magical device.

Corvin placed his hand on the device and thought, "Please, God, you have not given me anything better in my life. Please, make my rank high."

After a few seconds, the device showed "S Rank."

All the hunters around were shocked. Zaren smiled, and Corvin, both shocked and happy, looked relieved.

The receptionist then called out, "Hey Harry, go call the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master!"

Another receptionist replied, "But the Vice Guild Master is on a Dungeon raid right now!"

The first receptionist shouted back, "Then just call our Guild Master from the office!"

The receptionist ran through the stairs and opened the door of the Guild Master's office. "Sir, may I come in? We have two hunters down here—one is SS Rank and the other is S Rank," she reported.

The Guild Master stood up from his chair in shock and ran toward Zaren and Corvin with a smiling face. He grabbed both of their hands and said, "Thank you, sir, for joining our guild. We will pay you more than you can imagine."

Then, unexpectedly, Zaren said, "Actually, sir, I was only checking your guild."

Corvin added, "Bro, you told me you would join a guild so we could join together."

Corvin pleaded, "Please, bro, let's join this guild together."

The Guild Master listened carefully. Suddenly, Zaren said, "Okay, okay, if you say so, we can join it," because Corvin was a big fan of this guild from his childhood; he had heard many stories about this guild from his father.

After a moment, the Guild Master declared, "Now, we will have two SS Ranks and two S Ranks in our Guild." Then he said to Zaren, "Thank you, sir, for joining our guild. If you need anything, just ask me."

Zaren, curious, asked, "Sir, who is the Vice Guild Master?"

The Guild Master replied, "Actually, she is a girl about your age. She is…"

Before he could finish, the Vice Guild Master entered from the guild gate with her raid team. She was very beautiful.

Zaren was shocked and whispered to himself, "Wow!"

The Guild Master and Corvin laughed at Zaren's reaction. Zaren blushed and said, "Hey, I did say that by mistake."

The Vice Guild Master then came to guild master and said sir. I have cleared a B Rank Dungeon, and here are my proofs from the Dungeon raid team."

Suddenly, she looked at Zaren and Corvin and asked the Guild Master, "Sir, who are these people?"

The Guild Master replied, "You will not believe it—one of them is an SS Rank hunter named Zaren, and the other is an S Rank hunter."

Maria, the Vice Guild Master, looked shocked.

Zaren noticed Maria was looking at him and blushing. Feeling uncomfortable, he said, "Sir, so now can I get my Guild ID?"

The Guild Master replied, "Sure. Please wait just ten minutes. You will get your Guild card at the receptionist's desk," and then he left.

Zaren then saw a strong aura around the Guild Master. Although the old man looked weak, he was hiding his true power. Zaren thought, Maybe he is actually SS Rank. He must have trained hard to become stronger than SS Rank—I guess He is stronger than me now.

After waiting ten minutes, both Zaren and Corvin received their SS and S Rank Guild cards. This meant they could, from tomorrow, clear Dungeons like S Rank, A Rank, and B Rank that were meant for higher ranks.

Once they left the guild, The Vice Guild Master Maria and the Guild Master were talking. The Vice Guild Master asked, "Who was that person? Did you know him, sir?"

The Guild Master replied, "No, I don't know him, but I have heard rumours that an SS Rank hunter is searching for a guild. He also has joined Varric's guild, and they are all shocked by his power when he fought his Vice Guild Master."

Maria thought quietly, "Oh, that means he is new here. Does he have any girlfriends?"

The Guild Master asked, "Hey Maria, what are you thinking?"

Maria hesitated and said, "Actually, sir, nothing. I was thinking—can he beat me?"

The Guild Master smiled and said, "I guess you have feelings for that boy."

Maria blushed and quickly replied in a soft voice, "No, nothing like that—I think of him as a brother."

(Chapter 8 Fin)