Meanwhile, both Haruto and Bane started to have the same suspicions as Sylvie. Why had no one noticed this fight? Then Haruto realized something important. "Sylvie! I thought we had to have one of those dome things up during fights?" Sylvie blinked a few times in a daze as she realized she missed something so crucial. 'Yeah, there was no duel dome put up? Could it be…?'
"Where is your mind, girl?!" Jack shouted as he swung out with a brutal haymaker punch covered in fire this time towards Sylvie. Luckily for her, Bane never lost focus and noticed immediately, causing him to activate his Hydra's Blade skill, turning the skin on his forearms into reptilian scales. He took the blow head-on, causing his arm to bend inward. "What the fuck!" Bane grunted as he felt his arm snap, slamming him into Sylvie and sending them flying into the ground.
Bane couldn't believe the scales didn't work as Hydras were considered legendary creatures to some, but most dared not fight them as they knew it was almost impossible to harm them. Bane then chimed in. "Can Guild Masters bypass rules?! We need to figure out something!"
Sylvie slowly got up and started to look around as she started to put things together. "No, they can't, which can mean a few things. But…I think this fight isn't real!"
They both looked at Sylvie like she was insane. Both Haruto and Bane had sustained extreme damage, and no amount of illusion could replicate the kind of power they had been feeling from Jack.
"Did you hit your head?" Haruto asked. "We've been fighting for at least ten minutes!" Suddenly, loud laughter came from Jack, but now he was no longer standing. He was back sitting with his feet up.
"The girl is right. Congratulations, you passed my little exam or whatever. You're all in if you want. Don't care either way." Jack said with a carefree expression.
They suddenly realized they were all standing in the same spots in front of the gazebo. Jack was now sitting in his original position, and all their injuries were gone. Haruto blinked a few times, baffled. "What the hell just happened?"
V and Jynx could no longer be seen watching as they were already heading to the gazebo. All of them, except Sylvie, had no idea what was going on.
"I'm in! I need to know what just happened," Sylvie stated, looking resolute. Haruto and Bane both needed to know as well. "I'm in as well," Bane stated. Haruto was the only one who had yet to give an answer.
Jack then looked at him, surprised. "So the troublemaker is the one who can't decide." Even Sylvie and Bane looked at each other, confused due to Haruto's hesitation. It wasn't the fact he had no interest; he was considering the ramifications and had not forgotten his overall mission.
"I have my own goals. And must be able to move freely. Will the guild restrict my movements?" he asked sternly.
Sylvie had yet to see this side from him and was curious what goals could potentially make him not want to join guilds. In fact, the main reason he did not even spare a glance towards the Big 5 was due to this reason. He assumed the big guilds were all about making names for themselves and competing with the others. Most had set standards with strict rules and regulations.
Jack considered this as he had never seen someone so resolute in something and knew it had to be important. "As long as you pull your weight when needed, I don't care where you go or what you do."
Haruto nodded. It was settled.
"Damn, that was easy. Who knew getting your ass kicked was a recruitment tactic." Jack approached them, his expression serious. "You've proven you have potential. But potential alone isn't enough. If you want to survive and thrive as Warlords, you need to learn, adapt, and grow stronger. V! Jynx! Stop being children and let's go," Jack shouted, surprising the three. Bane and Sylvie both looked at each other, confused until a young guy wearing robes holding a staff walked up along with a striking woman. The woman had a short spiky cut with red hair.
Haruto immediately recognized them. "Oh, it's you guys?" Jynx winked at Haruto, causing him to shudder. Jack immediately made the gazebo disappear as they headed off.
As they walked, V and Jynx mentioned how they watched the whole thing and how they were able to watch the battle. "I need to know what type of magic that was. Every blow felt real," Bane stated. He had never felt so powerless against an opponent. Jack looked at the three and then turned towards V. "You want to explain it? I mean, you went through the same thing."
She beamed with excitement and was happy too. It had been a while since they received any new recruits, so they were both excited. "You see, the GM here has extremely potent and powerful magic. It's called Domain Magic. Highly rare and easily one of the most powerful magical stone abilities out there. The caster can encompass an area of choice into a magical domain. Inside, the caster can do pretty much whatever they want. Any ability, any magic is at their beck and call. It's more than just an illusion. If the caster is strong enough, all the damage you receive is real. The GM here was going extremely easy on you. It's why the blows felt so heavy. What you were feeling was the density of the magic each blow contained. Any more and you all would've likely died."
They all stood at a loss. Sylvie knew there were powerful abilities but never heard of such a thing. "That type of magic must be at least Legendary to Ancient Grade." V smiled. "You would be correct. Upper Legendary, last time I checked. In fact, due to how strong our GM is, some would argue lower Ancient."
Haruto just couldn't fathom it. 'What a broken ability.'
Jynx, coming out of his stupor of staring at Haruto, decided to chime in. "Yeah, it's pretty amazeballs, but I mean, you really can't expect anything less from the former number 1 Vanguard, can you?" Jynx mentioned, carefree as ever.
All three immediately froze up, shocked at what they just heard.
"The former number 1 Vanguard?" Sylvie echoed, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Haruto, Sylvie, and Bane exchanged stunned glances. They had just faced off against someone who had once been the most powerful Warlord in the entire kingdom.