He had heard of S-rank adventurers before, and read about them in books.
They were one of the strongest individuals within the adventurer guild system, whose nas and presence alone carried weight.
However, he had never seen one, and even doubted there were any in this small city.
Not even Yuan was an S-rank adventurer, and even if it was only over a small branch, he was still a guild master, which said how rare they were.
And now, he was being presented with the opportunity to beco one. Just like that.
His eyes narrowed slightly behind the mask, and he thought about the offer more carefully.
’For them to offer this so easily...’
His thoughts sharpened.
’There has to be sothing behind it.’
Because nothing in this world ca without a price.
Especially not sothing at a level like S-rank, or such rewards.
The guild was not a charity, so they would not hand out such benefits without gaining sothing in return.
’There must be a catch.’ The conclusion settled firmly in his mind.
Noah’s gaze shifted toward Yuan again, then he asked: "What’s the catch?"
Across from him—
Yuan’s expression changed slightly.
A bead of sweat ford at the edge of his forehead, and he swallows hard.
The question had co faster than he expected, and more directly than he would have preferred.
Still, he had already prepared for it.
"You just have to complete..." Yuan began, his tone careful now. "...at least one S-rank quest from the guild each month."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Otherwise, the rank would be withdrawn."
Noah listened quietly, sighing within himself.
’I knew it.’ he thought. ’They wouldn’t just hand out sothing like that for nothing.’
Accepting the offer would an having to complete an S-rank quest every month.
’I don’t know how S-rank quests are...’ he thought. ’But I’m sure they won’t be easy.’
Nonetheless, the condition wasn’t that terrible, if all he had to do was complete a quest per month.
However, at his current strength, he doubted he would be able to complete quest at the S-rank level.
If even Yuan, who was a master magus wasn’t an S-rank adventurer, then he doubted he, who was still an high magus would be able to take them on.
"I’ll... give it so thought," he said calmly, neither accepting nor rejecting.
Across from him, Yuan nodded quickly.
A quiet sigh of relief escaped him, though he tried to keep it subtle.
"Of course," he said.
His posture relaxed slightly, because even though Noah had not accepted, at least he had not rejected the offer either.
And that alone was enough, aning there was still a chance. Still an opportunity.
Yuan’s thoughts settled gradually.
A part of him had expected a refusal.
After all, soone like Mr. White, who appeared to have no affiliation with any group or order, might find such a condition restrictive.
However, things at least went better than he expected.
*
A few minutes later, Noah stepped out of the adventurer guild building and into the open street.
The air outside felt different, lighter and less tense than the atmosphere inside the office.
He walked forward at a steady pace, blending into the flow of people moving along the road.
Despite being out in the open, Noah still had the white mask on his face.
It remained firmly in place, concealing his identity just as before.
However, the aura around him was no longer as overwhelming as it had been inside the guild.
The pressure he had been emitting earlier had been reduced, as he made sure to suppress it so he wouldn’t oppress the people around too much.
It was still there, but no longer spilling out in a way that would draw imdiate attention from everyone around him.
However, If anyone with sufficient sensitivity to mana tried to scan him, they would still feel it.
They would still sense the presence of an arch magus.
Noah continued walking for a few more steps before slowing down slightly.
Then, his gaze dropped.
He looked at his palm.
There, resting quietly above his skin, was a small dark gray tear.
It floated just above his hand, stable and unmoving.
At first glance, it appeared insignificant.
Just a tiny distortion.
But the mont one looked closer, it beca clear that it was anything but ordinary.
Even though the tear was small, Noah could easily peer into it.
His eyes focused slightly, and the space beyond revealed itself to him.
The storage space.
A separate area that existed beyond the normal boundaries of the world.
Inside, the environnt was still and silent.
Empty, aside from a few items placed neatly within.
To one side of the space lay a small pouch.
The sa pouch he had received earlier.
It contained the five gold coins Yuan had given him.
Next to it, resting against the invisible floor of the space, was a pair of silver daggers.
Their blades were clean and smooth, reflecting a faint glint even within the dim storage space.
Those daggers had not been part of the original transaction.
They were given to him afterward.
A personal gesture.
A gift from Yuan.
Noah’s gaze lingered on them for a mont.
The guild master had clearly been trying to build a connection.
To establish goodwill between them.
Even now, the intention behind it was obvious.
And yet, despite how simple the daggers looked at first glance, they were far from ordinary.
They were rare-grade weapons.
That alone placed them far above what most adventurers would ever possess.
In this world, weapons and artifacts were classified into ranks.
From the lowest to the highest, they were divided into Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Supre grades.
Each level represented a significant jump in quality and power.
Rare-grade weapons were already considered valuable.
Sothing not easily obtained by ordinary ans.
As for Supre-grade items, they were no longer part of the current world.
They had gone extinct.
At least, that was what most believed.
Ever since the death of the last supre magus, no such weapons or artifacts had been seen again.
Noah’s eyes remained fixed on the daggers within the storage space.
A quiet thought passed through his mind.
To think he would receive a rare-grade weapon so soon.
It had happened faster than he expected.
And the thod itself had been simple.
During his conversation with Yuan, he had casually brought up the topic.
He ntioned that his apprentice had destroyed his previous weapon during training.
The statent had been delivered naturally.
Without drawing too much attention.
And Yuan had responded exactly as Noah anticipated.
He offered the daggers without hesitation.
A gesture ant to strengthen their relationship.
Noah saw no reason to refuse.
He needed weapons, and these were more than sufficient for now.
His gaze softened slightly as he continued walking.
’The guild is clearly trying to use .’ he thought. ’Nothing’s wrong if I use them as well.’
The balance was simple.
They sought to gain sothing from him.
And in return, he would take what he needed.
A mutual exchange, nothing more and nothing less.
Noah’s attention shifted away from the storage space, and the small tear above his palm closed quietly, disappearing without a trace.
He lowered his hand, turning into an empty, deserted street.
Then after walking for a few minutes, a deep, distorted voice suddenly spoke up behind him.
"To think an arch magus really appeared in this little Eidbale."
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