Just as Kai thought, the instructor led him up the stairs. The stairs had a door with a lock, the instructor waved his adventurer card in front of it, and the door opened.
This way, only those with permission could enter the second floor.
"The guild master wanted to talk with you; you did quite the heroic thing. But I wanna know something, why is a tier 1 in my beginner's course?" The instructor eyed Kai, trying to detect any abnormal behavior.
"Curious, I guess." Kai shrugged; he didn't want to tell the man he was ignorant. After all, how could a tier 1 not know anything about dungeons, monsters, or even the world they live in?
It was his weakness, and he didn't feel like telling everyone about it.
"Curious, huh?" The instructor didn't buy it, but there was nothing he could do.
Walking up to a tall wooden door with a metal door frame, the door had a 'GM' engraved into the middle.
'A metal door frame with a wooden door, why not make the whole thing one material?' Kai thought it was odd, but maybe there was some other purpose.
As if reading Kai's mind, the instructor answered, "The guild master tends to break things; it's easier to replace a wooden door and cheaper."
"I see."
Kai started to doubt if this man should even be the guild master. Who constantly breaks their door?
~Thud~
Knocking on the door, the instructor quickly left, almost like he didn't want to be there.
A deep voice came from behind the door, "Enter."
Opening the door, Kai wasn't sure what to expect.
Animal and maybe even monster pelts and hide hung on the walls, and the empty spaces on the walls were filled with various weapons. From short swords to bows, the walls were filled. In the middle of the room was a long, big wooden desk. On top of it were different-shaped skulls.
Sitting at the desk was the guild master.
"Mm, come have a seat, Kai."
Sitting down just before the guild master, he already knew the guild master would know his name; after all, he did sign up here. Even if he didn't ask around, the guild master could've done a quick {Inspect} on him.
"Do you know why you're here?" The guild master asked, staring at Kai in his eyes. It was as if he could completely see through Kai.
Kai nodded, "The dark cultist."
"Good, since you know, this won't be long or hard. What do you know of dark cultists?"
Nothing, Kai knew nothing about them, only that they used rituals and sacrifices. And he only knew this by chance. He doubted the Adventurer Guild would've told him.
'There is still too much I don't know' Kai was getting frustrated at not knowing anything.
"I only know they use sacrifices. I was just lucky to stumble upon one."
Kai decided not to tell the whole trust. Hopefully, this way, the guild master would inform him about dark cultists.
The guild master didn't speak for a moment, and Kai began thinking he knew he didn't tell the whole truth.
"Dark cultists serve the seven princes of hell. They aren't from this continent but the continent of Wyondi. In Wyondi, there are two main forces, the Church Of Light and The House Of Darkness. These cultists are from The House Of Darkness, or THOD for short. Both of these forces believe in and serve Deities. The servants sacrifice to the seven princes, and they, in turn, offer it to the Deities they serve."
Kai was quiet for a while, processing all the information.
'Why do they sacrifice people? Do they gain power, or is that what these 'Deities' want them to do?'
Although Kai had many questions, he doubted the guild master could or would answer them.
"So, why are they here then? How are their servants here if they're from a different continent?"
Kai felt this was a safe question and wanted to know if they would continue showing up.
But when he saw the guild master's expression, Kai wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"We don't know. We aren't sure why or how they're here." The guild master looked ashamed, which looked weird on such a big and tough man.
Kai didn't know the current situation of Wyondi, so he couldn't say for sure, but he had an idea why they were here.
"Now, let us get to the main topic. What did you get after killing the cultists?"
Kai wasn't even too sure. He had looked a little through his inventory and noticed he got 2 gold coins and some silver and copper. He wasn't sure if he should give him the book he got. After all, Kai wanted to learn from it. Then again, it could potentially help save many lives.
'What to do?'
After a few seconds, Kai decided. "I did get a book from the cultists. I haven't had a chance to look through it yet."
Giving the book to the guild master, Kai knew it was for the best.
After receiving the book, the guild master flipped through it and raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure this is the right one?"
'?'
Kai was trying to be helpful and yet. The guild master doubted him!
"Yes, I even saw the cultists read from it."
Seeing Kai's confusion, the guild master laughed, "Haha, I do not doubt you; it's just this is a different book than the ones we've got before. We've had dark cultists before, and each had an identical book, yet this one is different."
'A different book? I wonder what's inside.'
"It may take a while, but after we've examined it and made copies, you'll get this back." The guild master gestured to the book.
Kai was slightly stunned. After all, this was a cultist's book, and they were just going to give it back to him.
"So, why tell me all this anyway? You could have just demanded the items I got."
This was one thing Kai didn't understand. Telling a new adventurer all about this didn't seem normal. And if it was, why wasn't it covered in the beginner's course?
"You're the youngest tier 1 I've ever met, and soon if this continues, it could get out of hand. We might have to start recruiting mercenaries. I'm telling you this in hopes you'll help if you encounter any cultists."
'All he wants is for me to help? I don't know if I'll encounter any more cultists, but if I do, I didn't plan on letting them run anyway.'
"Is it really so odd for a 12-year-old to be tier 1?"
The guild master's eyes widened, "Twelve? I thought you were fourteen or fifteen."
'What did I do?'
"Listen, lad, don't tell anyone your age again."
"Uh, why?"
Although Kai didn't plan to, it was still weird to hear it.
"What I'm about to tell you is secretive. The system takes in all your feats that including your age. So if you solo a dungeon boss, it will contribute to your evolution and classes. And the younger you are, the better the feat. If you're 20 and can evolve to tier 3, the system determines that as a high-tier feat. So that person would have far better options than a normal tier 3 evolution."
' So if I get to tier 3 before fifteen, will I get a rare and powerful evolution? Maybe even a new evolution and class no one has ever seen.' Just the thought made Kai excited. He wanted to go level up right now!
"I recommend you keep a low profile. I would love to see someone like you bloom, but if you're not careful, you'll blow before you bloom."
Nodding, Kai wanted to wrap this up.
"I see. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about, guild master?"
Shaking his head, Kai thanked him before heading to the door.
"Be careful who you trust, young lad, that includes me."
And with that final warning, Kai left.
Heading down the stairs, Kai saw Ruvyn waiting near the second-floor door. Quickly passing by him, Kai hurried to the bookstore.
Only a few minutes later, Kai opened the bookstore door.
~Ding~
The bell rang, and the back door opened, "Welcome! Unfortunately, we're about to close- Ah, you came back already, huh."
Seeing Kai at the entrance, the owner smiled. He didn't expect the young boy to be back after only a few hours.
"I would like to buy two books please, the 'Monsters & Beast' and the 'Evolution & Class Introduction'."
"I was about to close, but since you already know what you want and where they are, quickly go fetch them."
Walking over to the back corner, Kai grabbed the two books and was about to leave when another book caught his eye, 'Magic & Witchcraft, By Anne Zuima.'
'This could be useful, I may not know magic, but when I get it, I'll at least know how to use it.'
Grabbing the new book, Kai headed to the counter.
"It seems you've found a new book too. Mmm, quite an interesting one. Do you wish to be a mage?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I'd like to learn more." Kai half lied.
"That's a good idea. Only after knowing all the choices can you make the best decision. It'll be 1 silver and 50 copper."
Handing the owner the coins, Kai put the three books in his inventory and set off to the dungeon.
The system recognizes owners over items. This way, putting someone else's things into your inventory is impossible. Once you buy something, ownership will be transferred to you, making it possible to put it into your inventory.
Arriving in the fort of the 'Tombstone' dungeon, Kai smiled, "I should be back by morning, maybe a little later."
Walking through the blue portal, Kai's goal was to get level 25 before leaving.