The uncomfortable question hung in the air of Noah’s mind like a thick, choking fog.
’No,’ Kael’s voice finally resonated, the tone shifting from cold arrogance to a heavy, grounded solemnity.
The ntal growl was gone, replaced by a clarity that felt like ancient stone. ’You are different from the other humans, you’re my master. Do not mistake my disdain for your species as a lack of recognition for what you are.’
’If you were a lowly creature like them, there is no way you would have been able to bond with ..’
Kael was making it clear that their bond was not a fluke of magic or a stroke of luck. To the dragon, the very fact that the bond existed was the ultimate proof of Noah’s inherent worth.
Noah rely chuckled inwardly, finding the dragon’s logic fascinating.
anwhile, Lunge’s brows furrowed.
The initial smile he had worn was starting to crack at the edges, revealing the jagged frustration beneath.
He was growing slightly annoyed that Noah still hadn’t given him an answer.
Every second that Noah remained silent was a second that Yuan, the Guild Master, was allowed to remain hopeful.
Lunge could feel the frantic, desperate energy radiating off Yuan, and it irritated him. He wanted to end this farce imdiately and to claim this "Mr. White" and drag him back to the capital like a prize, proving once and for all that the Adventurer Guild was nothing more than a scrap heap for those not good enough for the Order.
Lunge cleared his throat. He adjusted the collar of his robes, his movents jerky and impatient.
"So..." Lunge began, his voice dropping an octave to regain its commanding resonance. "What do you think about my offer? We can surely give you far more than the adventurer guild could ever do."
He gestured vaguely toward Yuan with a look of pure condescension. "Look at this place. Look at the people you are associating with. The Guild deals in copper and blood, scraping by on the crumbs we leave behind. The Magus Order, however, lies at the top."
"We have resources that would make your current lifestyle look like a peasant’s existence, everything is within your reach if you simply choose the right side."
Yuan flinched at the words, his face pale. He looked as if he wanted to speak, to defend the adventurer guild, but the sheer weight of Lunge’s presence kept his jaw locked. He could only look at Noah, his eyes wide with an unspoken plea.
Noah didn’t move, but behind the mask, he smirked slightly. The expression was invisible to the two n, but the shift in his energy was palpable.
"Sorry," Noah said, his voice coming out steady and cool. "I can’t care less about whatever reward you could give ."
The rejection was so blunt, so devoid of the usual diplomatic fluff used in political negotiations, that it seed to physically push Lunge back.
The Arch Magus blinked, his eyes widening in genuine shock. He had expected a counter-offer, perhaps a demand for more gold or a specific title. He had not expected a complete dismissal of the Order’s entire treasury.
The air around Noah grew slightly colder.
"Besides..." Noah continued, his tone turning sharp. "You’re interrupting my investigation, and you also attacked with your mana pressure few minutes ago."
He paused for a mont, letting the weight of the statent sink in. The silence that followed was deafening.
Lunge’s face squeezed into a slight frown. The realization finally hit him, slowing his racing thoughts.
The "worst first impression ever" was an understatent. Lunge had essentially walked into a room, tried to suffocate his potential recruit, and then offered him a job as if nothing had happened.
He tried to think of a way to spin his actions, to fra the mana pressure as a "test of potential," but the words died in his throat as he looked into the cold, unresponsive eyes of Noah’s mask.
Noah didn’t give him the chance to recover. He shifted his weight, the movent causing his shadow to flare out like the wings of a great bird for a split second before settling back into the darkness.
"I have no intention to work with you," Noah said.
The blunt rejection hing in the air, Lunge’s face twisting in disbelief and fury.
Kael, who was still coiled Noah’s shadow, practically erupted in a ntal display of savage delight.
’Yes!’ Kael’s voice thundered inside Noah’s skull, vibrating against his temples. ’Teach that bastard a lesson! Do not just stop at words, Noah. Smash his head in even! Crush the life from that arrogant throat and show him the true hierarchy of this world!’
To Kael, Noah’s refusal wasn’t just a choice; it was a righteous assertion of dominance over a "lowly creature" that had dared to stand tall.
Each word was spoken directly into Noah’s mind through the soul-link, so the others couldn’t hear a word of what he was saying.
To them, Noah was simply standing there in stony, masked silence, radiating a cold and untouchable aura. They had no idea that inside his head, an ancient creature was screaming for a massacre.
A crease ford on Noah’s brows behind the cold surface of his mask. He felt the ntal weight of Kael’s enthusiasm and couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of unease.
’I don’t know if him learning how to speak this fluently is good or bad...’ Noah thought,, his mind narrowing as he processed the dragon’s rapid developnt.
The sheer speed of Kael’s evolution was nothing short of alarming. Just yesterday, the dragon could barely speak at all.
Now, that had completely changed. Within a matter of hours, Kael had bridged the gap between instinct and intellect.
He was now forming full, complex sentences, even utilizing sophisticated vocabulary, and could also engage in a normal conversation with Noah.
Noah couldn’t help but feel a sudden, sharp pang of regret.
He couldn’t help but feel a little regret at reading those books with the dragon.
In order to complete his daily quests over and over again, Noah had been forced to read those sa ten books over and over again.
They were dense, scholarly tos—histories of the continent, treaties on mana theory, and long-form epic poetry.
Noah had sat on his bed, reading the words aloud to anchor his focus, while Kael had sat curled at his feet or perched on his shoulder.
The dragon had always seed srized by the rhythm of Noah’s voice and the different drawings in the books.
Noah had thought it was a harmless way to bond, a quiet mont of peace between a master and his companion.
He was wrong. He was now absolutely sure that the only reason Kael could now speak this fluently was due to the vast amounts of information he had absorbed from those books.
The dragon’s mind was like a dry sponge, and Noah had inadvertently soaked it in high-level human language and philosophy.
’He keeps growing so fast...’ Noah thought, a shadow of genuine concern flickering in his eyes.
He was developing a personality that was a terrifying blend of ancient dragon pride and the sophisticated cynicism found in the books Noah had read to him.
Fortunately, as Noah looked down at the rippling shadow at his feet, he noted one small rcy. Kael’s physical size hadn’t increased.
The dragon was still small enough to hide within the darkness of a cloak or a shadow.
If his body had grown at the sa rate as his mind, Noah would actually have found it troubleso.
Noah found it fascinating, yet eerie.
"If you refuse my offer, then have it in mind that there’s no way you can find out the truth behind this matter," Lunge said, breaking him out of his thoughts.
Noah frowned. The "truth" was the reason he was here, and he didn’t like being blackmailed.
Beside them, Yuan swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to say in this situation. He felt completely paralyzed by the tension.
Yuan was acutely aware that he was the weakest among the three of them. The other two were powerful Arch Magi that could literally wipe his face on the floor with ease.
He was an ant standing between two titans. He could only watch in terror as the two masters of mana began to clash.
Noah stared at Yuan for a second before shifting his gaze. Then, his mana pressure ca out again. It was a surgical strike, focusing entirely on Lunge’s shoulders.
Lunge gnashed his teeth. The sudden weight was imnse. His knees began trembling slightly from the invisible pressure.
It felt like a mountain was being forced onto his back. He tried to resist, but Noah’s power was too dense and too refined to be pushed back.
"You seem to be mistaking sothing here," Noah said.
His voice was cold and steady through the mask. He paused for a mont, letting the weight sink in before continuing.
"I was the one who was attacked by her, and the one who took her down. Don’t think you can just swoop down and reap the rewards."
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