The sun was in my eyes and awoke me in an instant. Suddenly, there was something moving on my skin; it was a butterfly, which was promptly crushed by my palm when I stared at it. I looked at my hand, still lying down, with the corpse of the butterfly on it. After a few seconds, it turned into pixels.
I got up and packed all my camping gear. The night before had been pleasant, though I wished I could have entered the city earlier. Almost as if on cue, the giant gates of the 23rd sprang open, and a wave of NPCs began pouring out—some headed to work, others off to explore. They all seemed joyful, though.
I glanced at the city. On the right side, it looked like an explosion had occurred. Lightning streaks and ice scars crisscrossed the eastern wall. The city was much larger than the 123rd, and far more lively. The guild hall was visible from outside the city, with a flag flying at its peak. The symbol on the flag was two guns crossed in an X-shape, in red and white.
Once I finished packing up my gear, I headed toward the entrance. Clusters of NPCs were chatting—some about the work they had to do, others discussing monster sightings near the river. Each one seemed to have its own life and world surrounding it.
When I reached the city, banners of white and red—similar to the mask Seraphina had worn and the flag flying atop the city—were draped all around. One of the NPCs was setting up their booth, so I decided to ask them a few questions.
The guild hall was at the center of the city. As I walked through the bustling streets, I saw NPCs selling goods, blacksmiths crafting gear, librarians organizing books, and others busy with their work.
Passing by, I noticed two storage houses—presumably filled with supplies. One of them bore the same ice and lightning marks as those on the city's walls. I wondered what kind of battle had taken place to leave these kinds of scars.
"Definitely two high-ranking players," I thought to myself.
When I finally reached the guild hall, I was greeted by an enormous building, completely different from the one-story structure of the 123rd. This guild hall seemed to span three to four floors, with the white and red banners draped around its entrance. The building had a grandeur about it—tall and stately, with thick walls and wide doors that were firmly shut.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
After knocking, I heard the sound of scurrying inside as someone rushed to the door. After a few moments, the door finally opened.
"Welcome in," said Eli, standing in front of me, wearing a onesie with an embarrassed look on her face. "Wait here for a second," she continued, before running off.
The guild hall's interior was magnificent, lined with rich red, white, and gold colors. The guild's logo was proudly displayed, hanging from the center of the main hall. The entire space was open, with grand staircases on both sides leading to the upper floors. From where I stood, I could see five floors, each with its own distinct theme. The top floor was red, followed by yellow, green, white, and silver, with the bottom floor being the grand entrance. Each floor seemed to have multiple rooms, which I assumed belonged to individual guild members, giving them their own personal space for downtime.
In the center of the space, there was a rune embedded in a section of the floor, surrounded by glass walls, which seemed to act like an elevator. Eli stepped inside and took it up to a floor that appeared to have a lightning theme.
I waited, and could hear screams and rushing feet. There seemed to be some sort of a rush. I wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or a bad sign for me. After a few moments, I saw Reyna descending in the elevator from the top floor. She, too, was in casual clothing like Eli had been, though she didn't seem to care about it as much. I decided to ignore it, assuming this was some sort of test.
"Hi, guild leader!" I said, excitedly.
Reyna sighed and gestured for me to step into the elevator with her. She poured some mana into the rune, and we soared up to the top floor. She instructed me to sit in one of the rooms, saying she'd join me shortly.
The room was similar to the bottom floor, adorned with the guild's red, white, and gold colors. Pictures of people lined the walls, and to the left, a kunai hung in a display. A desk with chairs on both sides dominated the center of the room.
=======================================
Wan's Iron Kunai
Made by a blacksmith on Floor 1 in the 63rd city.
Common
=======================================
"Wan... where have I heard that name before?" I muttered, staring at the kunai. Before I could think further, Reyna entered, jolting me back to attention.
"Sorry about that," Reyna said with a faint smile. "We weren't expecting you this early," she added, closing the door behind her.
She was now dressed in the armor I had seen before. She looked a bit tired but ready for business. Sitting down across from me, she pulled out a notebook and a pen.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions," she said, her voice professional.
"Of course," I replied, trying to hide my nervousness.
Without missing a beat, Reyna asked bluntly, "Why were you alone?"
"I told you before—I just wanted some enchantments. My class gets one every level," I explained.
"There are hunting parties for that. Why didn't you join one of them?" she asked, jotting something down in her notebook.
"I tried, but those parties usually want combat-related classes. All the ones I approached denied me," I answered.
She scribbled more notes.
"And why do you want to join this guild?"
"I've had no one," I said solemnly. "On Earth, and even now, I just want a place where I can be myself and not have to worry about dying every day."
Reyna scribbled that down, her expression unchanging. Then she asked, "What do you offer?"
I hesitated, thinking long and hard about her question. This was a top guild, and Reyna was one of the top ten players. What could I possibly offer a guild that was already thriving? They even had a working elevator powered by mana—something I had never seen before. Everyone here was strong, far beyond me.
"I can enchant all your gear for free," I finally said. "That's really all I can do."
Reyna paused, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you change classes or learn other skills?"
"I don't want to risk my life," I admitted. "I want to enjoy the time I have here. Who knows how long it will take before we clear the tower?"
She studied me for a moment before nodding slightly and moving on. "And finally, what are your stats?"
I pulled up my stat display and showed it to her. Reyna looked over it for a while, her expression shifting from neutral to surprised.
===================
Adventurer : Arden
Gender: Male
Class: Enchanter
Title: Untrustworthy Enchanter
Level: 6
Strength: 8
Speed: 5
Health: 200
Perception: 8
Luck: 10
Mastery: 1
Most important skills :
Enchant
Mana Inspect (Passive)
Scan LV2
Dash LV 2
Backstab
===================
After reviewing my stats, Reyna began to speak, concern evident in her voice. "How did you get that title?" she asked.
I laughed and replied, "I sold an NPC something worth a few copper for a few silver. Even after I returned the money, my title stayed the same."
Reyna didn't laugh, but she wrote the information down in her notebook.
"Let me see you enchant something," she said, handing me a sword.
=============
Iron Sword
Made by a blacksmith on Floor 1 in the 63rd city
Common
===========
"What should I put on the sword?" I asked, looking at Reyna.
After a moment's thought, Reyna replied, "How about Mana Drain?"
At level six, I had acquired the Mana Drain enchantment. As the name suggests, it allows you to drain mana from each enemy based on a percentage when the enchantment is applied to an item.
I took the sword from Reyna's hand and concentrated. A purple rune appeared in my palm. The sword began to glow with a purple light, illuminating the room as the enchantment took effect. The sword flared in my hands, radiating the vibrant energy of the Mana Drain enchantment.
=============
Enchanted Iron Sword
Made by a blacksmith on Floor 1 in the 63rd city
Enchanted by Arden
Enchants: Mana Drain - 15%
===========
After inspecting the sword, I looked down solemnly. "I wish it had a higher percentage."
Reyna seemed to smile at that. "Don't worry," she replied. "Every enchantment we've had so far couldn't get Mana Drain above 4%."
She took the sword back and recalled it to her inventory. "How much is it worth?" she asked.
I thought for a while before responding, "Well, it's a basic iron sword with only one enchantment on it. It would probably fetch more than 50 silver. If it were a boss drop, it might go for 1 or 2 gold, but it's not."
Reyna agreed with my assessment and shook my hand, handing me 50 silver.
"No, like I said, it's free for you guys," I insisted.
"Just take the money," Reyna sighed.
I accepted the money and smiled. Her red hair seemed to glow in the light of the room. I was excited to see what would happen next.
"So, did I pass?" I asked.
The door was slammed open. Tenshi rushed in, her voice tinged with panic. "Valen's here!" she screamed.