Jake's gaze flew around the room. He was unsure whether these people were friends or foes, but one thing was certain: He wouldn't stand a chance against them in a battle currently. Their auras mimicked the ones of the strongest players.
"So, what is it you want me to do?" Jake asked.
"First of all, keep this a secret," Arthur answered, falling back and lying on the seat. "And, as I mentioned earlier, conceal your aura. The other sins will find you at ease and most likely capture or kill you on the spot."
"I'm not following?" Jake inquired. "I can't even sense my own aura, so I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh right… That just means you're weak. Or you perhaps haven't fully awakened yet?" He sighed, approaching Jake and fumbling with his shirt pockets. In there, he picked out a red gem and handed it to him. "Keep this at you at all times unless you're up against a powerful enemy. It suppresses your aura but also weakens your abilities slightly since it isn't completely purified. Still, this cost me a fortune, so you'd better not lose it, or worse, sell it."
Jake cautiously accepted the gift, sliding it on his ring finger. "I have never heard of these before," he mumbled.
"Of course, you haven't," Tittarelah chimed in. "The gem is native to my region, and most people there don't even have a clue."
"Ah okay. But if you don't mind me asking, where are you from?" Jake asked.
"I'm from Mystgard, one of the northern lands."
"Mystgard…" Jake thought, "I haven't heard about Mystgard before, so maybe that's another potential destination in my journey?"
"Oh, by the way, you were trying to get a residential stamp, right?" Arthur asked, fumbling with his pockets again. "Here, hand it over to the receptionist, and he'll get you signed up."
It was a black card garnished with golden stripes of the guild's logo. "I just happen to know the owner, so here ya go."
"Thanks, man, but what do you want in return?" Jake asked. "You must've called me over here for a reason."
"For now, we simply want you to get stronger until you can rival our strength," he explained. "Then we'll call you back again."
"Is there something you need to fight?"
"Something like that," he muttered. "As you can imagine, not all of the deadly sins are friendly. For instance, the sin of greed awakened in some random insect who has been spotted wrecking havoc not too far from here. Fortunately, he hasn't grown too powerful yet, so tracking him down is our concern."
"I see."
"Eiltris, the girl with the bow, had also fought the sin of pride two years ago," he said, looking at the hooded girl. "He's a voracious man who would do anything for power, but due to his almighty pride, he simply refused to kill someone as weak as her. That's shows how strong he was."
"Ah, then I have a question," Jake said, and as Arthur seemed to grow quiet, he asked. "Would you happen to have a unique ability?"
He scratched his left armpit and looked back at Jake. "Of course. Eiltris and Tittarelah have theirs too," he answered. "They're quite rare but not really. I believe you also have one?"
Jake nodded. "It's called Sovereign's Intimacy."
"And it does?" Arthur asked.
"Uh, umm, well…."
"Well?"
"I can basically learn any ability of someone I have… Ahem, dance the Devil's Tango with."
Arthur looked at him, his face expressing a mixture of his usual deadpan and confusion.
"What the hell do you mean. I don't understand your words."
"Ahh, you don't need to… I, um. I can just copy other people's abilities that I'm very close with. Ideally females… Actually, only females… And not minors, absolutely not."
Jake could sense the awkward silence screaming through the room. It's got so bad even the butler began to look.
"Okay whatever, go now. I'm busy; I got a floor to fix," Arthur eventually said.
"Okay, okay, I'll go."
Leaving the room, he felt the weight on his shoulders fade. He could barely feel it, but their pressure was different. Even Alea, who the guards treated like royalty, didn't even come close. "Oh right, Alea," he thought. "I still need to decide what ability to choose."
As the blue interface emerged again, he began walking toward the receptionist that had handled him previously.
"Are you okay, Jake?" He asked, confused about why Jake was fiddling with the air. "Hello? Jake? Are you there?"
"I'm just doing uhh… I got this card," Jake said, handing it to him and hoping it would work.
The receptionist's face widened as he inspected the card. "It's the read deal," he said. "Where did you get this?"
"From there," Jake pointed and where he came from.
"And who gave it to you?"
"Some guy named Arthur."
"Some guy named Arthur…?" He asked
"He's somewhat short with golden hair. And he got a cane and… I dunno. But he looked tired for some reason," Jake explained.
"...You know that's the owner, right?"
"...Wha?"