'Well, this is awkward,' Lorn thought meekly.
He really didn't think Sybil would be so gung-ho suddenly. He looked over at Sybil to see what her expression was, but thankfully, she didn't look shaken.
'Good, that wasn't her whole plan.'
"Did any of them succeed in unlocking a skill?" Sybil asked.
"Admittedly, no," the Guildmaster replied. "But, the Warrior's guild was boasting about getting one of their Undying to learn Strengthening, so we know it's just a matter of time. I admit I am covetous to recruit more of such promising new members, and I am willing to compensate them without being stingy. But I do still have my pride. Seeing some youngling coming up to me as if they own the world, I won't feel so bad about putting them in their place, even if it costs me an Undying."
"No, no," Sybil smiled politely at that. "Master, I am not being rude, nor overly confident. What I'm asking for would be considered small for what I'm about to tell you. You call the Undying promising, but you don't really understand how much potential they have." She then gestured at Lorn. "Can you tell at what level his spirit is?"
"An F-level," the Guildmaster replied. "Like the rest of the bunch. Sure, his spirit feels more refined than the rest, but that's simply because of you bonding with him. Am I supposed to be impressed by that?"
"Lorn, how many skills do you have again?"
"Uh, eight?"
The Guildmaster's expression faltered slightly, but it soon calmed down.
"Are we children?" she scoffed. "It's unsightly to lie so desperately."
Sybil smiled and threw a coin at the Guildmaster. With smooth movements, the latter caught it in the air.
"Lorn, pull at that coin. Master, please keep hold of it. I suggest you use Strengthening."
"It's Paramount Strengthening at my age. And don't think I won't be able to tell who's casting the spell."
Lorn was intrigued by the fancy name, but he activated Point of Gravity, then used Gravitational Pull on the coin the Guildmaster was holding. He decided to hold nothing back and used up all his spirit for the effort.
Surprisingly, he couldn't pull it out of the old woman's grasp. It did budge slightly, but it quickly became still. Though, seeing the shock on the old woman's face did satisfy him.
A woozy feeling took over Lorn, but he used Focused Spirit Meditation and recharged his bar to 10% in a dozen seconds. His dizziness faded and his mind felt clearer than before. If he looked at his status, he would see his Willpower stat raised from 4.3 to 4.5. The effects of the 'Focused' prefix he received.
"Could you feel the power of his pull?" Sybil said smugly. "Will you believe me if I said he only got the skill a week ago? But that's not all. His Strengthening's already Lv.6 and the other skills are roughly lvl 2 to 3. He's been diligently practicing this past week, and he had my help, but even still, he reached a point that would've taken me a month in just a week!"
Even Lorn was surprised by what he heard. Was his growth really that fast? The Guildmaster looked completely flabbergasted as well.
"Master," Sybil continued. "The Undying are not just stronger-than-average Hunters. They're immortal beings whose spirits are twice as stronger than us and grow four times as faster. In a month, the whole of Vox and all the whole Empire will be raving about them. And I know a method to make them even stronger. Our guild will be able to stock up on Undying as strong as Lorn, while the rest of the world would only be figuring out what they were missing out on."
A brief silence filled the room. Lorn didn't feel worried. Even he, the person on the offering side, was impressed, so the Guildmaster was definitely hooked. Sure enough, the old woman's eyes were sparkling with vigor. She spoke in a low, satisfied tone.
"The Guild shall accept Lorn as an Honorary member with the full benefits of a regular one. He shall also receive the Ring of Rhy'Kan and will be allowed to eat an egg of a wyvern."
Sybil didn't react at the first gift, but she looked more than surprised at the second one.
"As for you, Sybil, you may choose two of the variety of Relics we have that support the power of manipulation. You can also receive a house belonging to the guild. Does this satisfy you both?" the Guildmaster spoke steadily.
'Real estate really is cheap in this world, huh?' Lorn thought, seeing people giving them away so effortlessly.
He then noticed Sybil's eyes on him. She seemed to be asking if he was fine with the conditions. Lorn couldn't know, but he guessed she was worried. He nodded back.
Sybil turned to the Guildmaster and started explaining.
"The trick is to make a Soul Bond with them," Sybil said. "By doing so, they'll automatically receive three random skills from the other partner and all their boons."
"What?! Even Hunters who've been with each other for ages don't dare think of receiving skills from each other!"
"I know. I only bonded with Lorn through chance, but even I was surprised by how large the effects were. And that's not all. Whenever their Soul Bond becomes stronger, they receive more benefits. Skills, increases growth, shared spirit and health, etc. Lorn and I are only on the second milestone and already, but he has six of my skills and our growth together is 120% more effective."
The Guildmaster got up from her seat and started pacing around. Her hands were glued to her chin and she seemed to be thinking of a million things.
"But... A Soul bond's not really widely feasible…"
"I know it's nothing to take lightly, but the benefits are enormous. Lorn's only an F-rank, but I'm sure he'll give the average E-rank a run for their money. Imagine what'll happen when he actually ranks up?"
"No, the problem is, no one really wants the burden of a bond. Perhaps I can convince some of my loyal members, but I just don't see the Undying willing to do something like this. Will they be okay with tying their futures to the Guild?"
Lorn, hearing the concern, knew it was his time to speak.
"Actually, they'll be more willing than you may think," he said. "Tell them it's possible to learn the skills faster and also receive three extra. The Undying will mostly have a 'Let's try different things' kind of mentality."
Since the One World was advertized as a game, there would be many people who wouldn't take things too seriously here and will be more willing to new ideas.
"Some might even be desperate to become stronger through any means."
Lorn was also familiar with the types of people who would be beta-testing right now. People who wanted the easy way out, seeking big profits with minimal effort. They were people who played games with cheat codes on. A Soul Bond was the perfect 'cheat' for them.
"And if that doesn't work, I can convince them for you."
Lorn could just tell them that even if they fuck up, they could start over later on. They were in a game. They could restart from zero. Wasn't that one of the biggest appeals of a game?
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," he smiled confidently. "In fact, I'd be surprised if they still refuse after hearing all the perks."
But of course, he had to keep a certain face in front of the One World's residents. The reasons he had in mind wouldn't be believable to them. Which meant he had to meet the Undying privately.
"You said you had recruited three Undying. Can you tell me what kind of people they were?"
"One's a young lad. Same age as you probably, but terribly emancipated and somewhat jittery. The other two are women. One looks to be in her forties, but is terribly conscious of her age. A sly-looking woman, that one. The last is a little girl. Probably only 18 or 19. She's by far the most normal, though her jokes are a bit too much sometimes."
'Ah, I can see the picture…' Lorn sighed. 'And probably, the girl's the most fucked of the three… But it doesn't sound impossible.'
"The lad might be unwilling at first, but put someone slow and calm next to him. They don't have to bond immediately. Just tell him he's getting a personal teacher or something. He'll eventually open up. As for the older lady, maybe a young and handsome man would be best? Or someone who's authoritative or has power. Do make sure they don't get caught up in her schemes, though. As for the girl… she'll probably be fine with anyone. If I had to pick, someone not boring would be good. If you have someone like Shekh, the Pale Warrior, it would be perfect."
'Yeah, that sounds about right.' Lorn thought about it again. 'And so I can talk to them privately...'
"Can I meet them one by one first? Just to be sure?"
"Of course. We can arrange it later today."
The Guildmaster was clueless.
"Also, I think we shouldn't publicize information about me just yet," Lorn added. "It's best to keep info about me hidden for as long as possible. And tell the Undying you recruited to not disclose the information about Soul Bonds to others. When we leave this world, we can share whatever info we want on a public space. Obviously, it's not mandatory, but remind the Undying to stay silent. Actually, I can tell that to them myself."
Lorn suddenly felt a bad premonition about this plan. The two younger ones might we willing to keep the secret… but the sly old lady would definitely try to sell it somewhere.
'Does that really matter to me, though?' Lorn speculated on the effects of such news spreading. 'Me and Sybil wouldn't be affected too much. We're gonna be headed towards the Capital, anyway. But it would be nice to have stronger backing, so I'll try to convince the lady with all my effort.'
As he finished thinking, the Guildmaster spoke.
"I'll talk to Hunters who are willing to make a spirit bond." She then called one of the servants and called some of her underlings to her. "In the meantime, you two can visit the treasury. Or would you like to see your house first?"
"We'll go check up on the soulless we left outside," Sybil said. "After that, we'll head to the treasury."
With the negotiations successful, Lorn and Sybil walked out of the room.