It had been a month since Amir arrived at the cave, and if he had his way, he would have poured all his points into agility.
"OH SHIT!"
Amir leaped into the air, narrowly dodging a sword that came hurtling toward him.
"He always moves like he's trying to kill me," Amir thought.
Landing with his sword in hand, Amir immediately launched himself off the ground toward a tall, muscular old man in a black tank top. The man continued to hurl swords at Amir with alarming speed. Amir deflected the blades, sending them crashing into the ground in different directions.
As Amir's sword began to darken, he slashed it through the air, sending a small black arc of energy toward the old man. With a simple motion, the old man pushed the blades aside and punched the ground, the force of which caused the earth beneath him to crack.
Amir jumped into the air, his eyes glowing golden as he spun midair and unleashed another slash of dark energy, this one significantly larger. The old man caught the massive arc of energy and shattered it with ease. In an instant, he kicked off the ground, appearing beside Amir before landing a powerful kick that sent him crashing into the ground.
The impact echoed through the training area, but Amir used the momentum to propel himself backward, minimizing the damage as he skidded across the ground, frantically searching for the old man.
Suddenly, a cold blade touched his neck, sending a jolt of fear through him.
"You still forget to sense the mana fluctuations in the ground during a fight. That could very well be your death," a calm voice said behind him.
Amir sighed in resignation as he recognized the voice.
'He beat me again.'
The old man removed the dagger from behind Amir's neck. Amir then fell to the floor lying down like a star. He lifted his head slightly looking at Alex. He was his new teacher after Valerie left. He honestly would have preferred Valerie as the old man was terrifying. On the first day of training he made Amir do 100 pushups,100 sit-ups and 100 planks and once he got used to doing it he would at weight to his body. The old man didn't give a shit about the pushups itself but the mental game he had to play in his head of doing the same thing over and over as it got harder.
He was a tall 6'5 old man with grey hair and a beard and was absolutely ripped. He had muscles the sized of Amir's head.
"Hey, I'm leaving today, right?" Amir asked excitedly
Glancing at him Alex answered.
"Yes, your training with me is finished and you're going elsewhere." He answered in a calm tone
Amir was ecstatic he could finally leave the cave and see the outside world again. Even as cool as the cave was, he really didn't want to be stuck in here much longer. Amir got up as he asked to ralph to open his status.
===Status===
Name: Amir
Titles: Child of Argos
Bloodline: Ancient bloodline of Greed
Rank: F+
Strength: 24
Agility: 19
Stamina: 30
Mana capacity: 40
Charm: 5
[Stat points: 0]
Amir reviewed his stats with a sense of satisfaction. Although he hadn't gained many stat points during his time here—lacking the opportunity to steal from a magic beast—he was proud of the progress he'd made on his own, without relying on his bloodline. But that would soon change as he headed to the city, where the surrounding forests were teeming with magic beasts.
The most significant development was reaching F+ rank. Now at the peak of F rank, he anticipated breaking through well before the exams, still a month away. He even felt confident he could take on an E-rank opponent without too much trouble.
After instructing Ralph to close his status, Amir left the room and packed his belongings. Valerie had sent him clothes, all of which were either black or mixed with black—a clear sign of her obsession with the color. He couldn't help but worry he might catch her obsession if he didn't get new clothes soon. For now, he wore a tight muscle shirt, black with purple lining.
He packed everything into a magic ring he'd received from Alex early in his training. Throughout his time here, Amir had never let his guard down, constantly watching Alex's every move and using his technique to sense mana fluctuations at night, just in case something strange happened.
Despite the kindness they'd shown him, Amir still didn't fully understand their motives, other than a vague sense that they simply felt like helping him. But today, he was leaving, and his contract with Valerie ensured no spying or tailing. He had chosen the city himself, deeming it the perfect destination.
Before leaving, Amir went to say goodbye to Alex. Entering the training room, he found no one there, only a piece of paper floating in the air. Grabbing it, he read the simple message: Don't die. Good luck.
Amir laughed at how cold the old man was—not even bothering with a proper goodbye. But he didn't mind too much. Alex was someone Amir never felt entirely comfortable around; the man could kill you while you took a shit, and you wouldn't even know you were dead. It was better to distance himself from someone like that.
As Amir walked through the cave toward the entrance, the ground suddenly began to tremble, something he'd never experienced before. Rushing outside, he was stunned by what he saw.
"Goddammit, how did she know I was coming here?" Amir shouted, looking at the city he'd planned to travel to.
He found himself standing on a mountainside, overlooking the massive city below. The sheer size of it was overwhelming.
"Did the cave teleport?" he wondered aloud.
The city before him looked like something out of a storybook, with advanced, towering buildings, one of which seemed to touch the sky. The cave had brought him to his destination instantly.
"Come on! What about traveling the world like a hero, saving some poor village, and meeting a beautiful, talented girl? You took my whole adventure, you damned vixen!" Amir bellowed.
He quickly let go of his anger, knowing it wouldn't change anything. The forest around him was sure to be full of magic beasts, and his sword art wasn't ideal for daytime fighting. He pulled a black hood from his magic ring, placing it over his head, then leaped out of the cave entrance, descending into the forest. Moving at full speed, he used the shadows of the trees to conceal himself and suppressed his magic signature.
After two hours of ducking and hiding from magic beasts that could tear him limb from limb, Amir finally emerged from the forest.
The city wall became visible as I proceeded on my journey. Certainly, the scale of this Wall was enormous. Walking further I saw what a humongous silver gate. Getting into the city was easy as Valerie had giving him a pendant that allowed him to enter any city without hassle.
As he walked into the city, it was even more stunning than it had appeared from above. The towering buildings were refined and elegant, a stark contrast to the rustic charm of my village. It was like stepping a hundred years into the future—huge birds soared through the air, and people flew above the bustling streets, which were teeming with vendors selling all sorts of food.
"Man, what is going on here?" he muttered to myself, astonished. "This city must be crazy.
Curious about the large Magic tower he saw when he was looking at the city from the cave. He approached an old man standing on the side of the street.
"Excuse me, sir. Who does the magic tower belong too?"
The old man looked me up and down before stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Hmm, young lad, you must be new to this city, right?"
"Yes, I just arrived, and I don't understand much yet." Amir answered
"I see," the old man said, nodding. "This city is one of the strongest strongholds in the Empire, and it's under the protection of Marquis Aron."
"Marquis Aron?" He asked, bewildered by about how one man protecting the city could make it one of the strongest in the empire.
"Hey, young lad, are you okay?" the old man asked, noticing my distracted expression.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine," I replied, shaking off my thoughts. "It's just... Why is it consider one of the strongest when only one man is control? It's a bit weird."
"Well, you will see once a beast tide comes, and he isn't the only strong person in the city he is just the city lord. After all, you're in Divita's, the City of Riches, there is many powerful people." the old man said proudly.
Saying goodbye Amir walked away, He couldn't help but smile. If the city was powerful enough that its citizens could ignore beast tides then he wanted to see the most powerful of the city fight.
'To think there are so many strong people in this world... It seems my rise to the stars won't be boring at all,' He mused.
After wandering for a while, he came upon a massive building, at least five stories tall, with a green banner bearing two crossed swords on the front.
"So, this must be the place the old man told me about—the Hunter's Guild," he said to myself.
The sheer size of the building stirred a sense of seriousness in me. This was a place filled with warriors of great strength. A hunter's guild could be found in every major town or city in the empire and the hunted magic beasts daily for money and acted as a natural cleanup crew keeping the magi beast in check
"This is where I'll be staying for the next month. Let's make a good impression," he thought, steeling myself.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately hit by the rowdy atmosphere. The place felt more like a bar than a guild, with people chugging alcohol, playing cards, and shouting at each other.
"What the hell? You totally cheated in the last game!" one man yelled.
"Huh? You calling me a liar, you fat bastard?" another retorted angrily.
"Fat bastard? Take that back before I crush your skull!" the first man threatened.
"What the hell is going on in here? He thought this was a guild! Why are they acting like this? And why is there a bar at the front? What kind of establishment is this?" He muttered, more than a little surprised.
It felt more like a hangout spot than a guild. As He walked up to the bar, the entire place fell silent, and he felt a hundred pairs of eyes on me. He made his way to the bar counter, where he noticed a middle-aged man with pure blackish-grey hair, a chiseled jawline, and dark grey eyes. He wore a classic black vest over a white shirt, looking every bit the part of a bartender.
'Damn, I can't sense anything from him... Just like Miss Valerie and Alex. He's definitely dangerous,' He thought, His instincts on high alert.
"Hello, young man. How may I help you this fine evening?" the man asked in a soothing, collected voice, only adding to his bartender aura.
I stared at him for a moment, trying to read him, but eventually gave up. "Sir, I came to join the Hunter's Guild."
"Oh? And what would a child like you want with such a dangerous line of work?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Smiling, I looked him directly in the eyes and replied in a cool tone, "From all the sweet sweet life experience and money of course?"
The entire bar fell silent again, everyone staring at me. Then, suddenly, the room erupted into laughter.
"Pft! Hahaha!" someone burst out. "Did he just try to sound cool?"
"Sorry, I couldn't hold it in, Finral," another chuckled. "This kid—hahaha!"
The bar was filled with laughter, people rolling on the floor, dying with amusement.
"Err, did I say something wrong? Why is everyone laughing?" I asked, feeling embarrassed.
"Well, that's easy, kid," the man behind the bar—Finral—said, turning back to me. "Everyone who comes to the Hunter's Guild is here for the money. It's just funny that you didn't know that and you tried to make it sound cool."
Patting me on the shoulder, Finral signaled for me to follow him, and I did, leaving the men downstairs to their laughter.
We walked up the stairs for a few minutes before stopping in an open area and entering a room that I assumed was his office. Sitting down, Finral gave me a serious look.
"So, tell me, what's your true purpose in coming to this guild out of all the others in the city?"
Amir shrugged.
"It was the first one I found." He said plainly
"What? Just like that? Why did he suddenly get so calm, and what test is he talking about?" he thought, feeling a bit uneasy.
"I see," Finral said.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Finral, the head of this guild, and welcome to the city of Divita's."