Ackster left Tommelier's shop with a distraught mind and a heavy body.
Tommelier's words had burrowed into Ackster's mind, and he realized that he had maybe thought about things in regard to what weapon he should use too much, that he had gone about it the wrong way.
Since he wasn't sure what would be suitable for him, Ackster had held off on picking and learning anything in the hopes of finding the perfect weapon that would let him display his true potential and the greatest amount of power he could achieve. However, as he held off on making a decision in the hopes of finding a perfect weapon, he was also delaying learning how to use weapons.
The closest thing Ackster had gotten to using as weapons were the Sharp-Horned Deer's antlers. And he was quickly outgrowing them. Although the rock lizard's defense was outstanding for its rank, it wouldn't take long until all of the foes Ackster fought would be too sturdy for the antlers.
His fists were as strong as him, and if they didn't work, he had his elbows and his forehead. But without proper martial arts techniques or mana to support his movements, his strikes were nothing more than foolish bluster.
It wouldn't be much better with a weapon until he learned how to use it, but no matter how bad he was at using it, a sharp sword would still cut, a heavy mace would still crush, and a sturdy axe would still cleave.
And if he was really going to go down the path of learning how to use a weapon, he could ask the Guild for someone to teach him how to use it properly.
If Wilma's words were to be believed, and if Ackster'sunderstanding of the Guild was even remotely close to its true strength, the Guild would surely have access to one or more people who were good at using weapons.
Ackster did have in mind one person who was famous for his excellence in bringing out his pupils' true potential, surpassing it even. However, the Guild's special forces that Wilma had just revealed were proof that the world was deeper than the original story had let on.
Also, asking the Guild, regardless of how he didn't like them getting another point of view on his strength, would also limit how much the rest of the world would find out about him. If he were going to fulfill his part of the deal and become part of the Guild's special forces, it would be in the Guild's best interests to keep his strength and methods secret.
Emotionally, Ackster didn't want to get closer to the Adventurer's Guild since he couldn't trust it. And since he couldn't tell whether it was purely his paranoia or if the Guild actually knew who he was from the beginning and guided him to his encounter and date with Wilma, he couldn't make a decision just yet.
Unfortunately, Ackster wouldn't get an answer to that particular question, no matter how much he thought about it. He hadn't felt watched ever since he left Degrest, but they could have just tacked on someone specializing in surveillance, and Ackster wouldn't have stood a chance.
With how weak he was, Ackster wouldn't be able to sense it if someone far stronger than him followed him.
It was just like with Dragon Slayer Kargas and Tommelier. Although he had almost been able to catch sight of Tommelier when he was looking at him from the beginning, he hadn't noticed Kargas' movements at all. And neither of the two focused on stealth.
It wasn't fair comparing someone to Kargas, considering he was the Guildmaster of one of the most, if not the most, powerful organizations in the world. But it didn't matter.
Anyone strong enough or good enough wouldn't have any trouble trailing Ackster. And it was entirely possible for the Guild to do what Ackster considered they might have done, however unlikely it was that they would go to such lengths for someone as insignificant as him.
And that was the part Ackster couldn't understand.
Why would the Guild do all that for him, even if he felt like they had? It also seemed like Wilma had been keen on recruiting him, considering she had even revealed the special task force that the Guild kept secret.
Until he found out the answers to those questions, Ackster couldn't trust the Guild. Wilma had said that it was because they had noticed his rapid growth after arriving at Ilto. But in a day?
Ackster couldn't believe it. They had to have known about him before.
The more he thought about it, the more Ackster doubted the Guild's intentions.
He wanted answers
However, the only way he would get answers was if he confronted Wilma, and she actually gave him the answers he wanted. Even then, even if they were the answers he wanted, there was no way to confirm if they were true or not.
Wilma could just say what Ackster wanted or thought he wanted to hear.
At the moment, Wilma and the Adventurers' Guild held all of the cards. It was up to Ackster to decide whether to call and lose or go for another round and hope he ends up with a winning hand.
At the very least, a hand that lets him place equal bets would be nice.
But until he can play around with Wilma on equal grounds, Ackster will have to bide his time and grow stronger. At least on the surface, and so far, the Guild and Wilma don't seem to hold any ill will. If they did, he would already be long gone.
They wouldn't even have to do anything by themselves. They would just have to have someone mention that someone similar to Ackster Phileam had been spotted in a neighboring country a few weeks after his supposed death.
The Guild would be more than aware of The Hero's habits.
If The Hero even gets as much of a whiff of someone that should be dead, he will make sure that it was a false alarm or that it will have been a false alarm, especially if that someone managed to fool him.
Only someone planning to do misdeeds or target The Hero would fake their death, after all.
Only a guilty man would flee their judgment.
'Or something along those lines. Crazy bastard.'
Ackster couldn't help but curse The Hero as he left the town in search of something to test out his weapon and training equipment on. He just had to take a break before he continued.