Thick with foreboding, tension filled the large, sumptuous room. Crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, their soft glow sparkling down to dance across the marble below. Twelve sat around the oblong table, their eyes nailed to the door as the echo of an approaching tread sounded out. And then, there in that instant, into this two people entered, a man and a woman, both faces taut with fresh wounds.
This tall man at the head of the room was an imposing figure in his well-chiseled features, elaborately robed in his high rank. His eyes looked up from deliberation; trace of frown on his face at the interruption was instantly composed. He stood with hands behind his back, regarding the people before him. He was no other than Minister Reinhardt, an influential man in the handling of the Empire, in whose responsibility fell the handling of adventurers and other influential people of this State. That he showed up in this gathering underlined the seriousness of the situation, as a man of such standing seldom shows up in person.
All S-rank adventurers were present, and the biggest presences in the room made those in the room some of the most fearful individuals in the Empire. These incomparable people had challenged the most ominous Dungeons, fought against legion-strong monsters, and come out on top in conflicts which would have smashed weaker adventurers into utter oblivion. They represented the very height of strength and prowess, and it was an omen to the seriousness of the situation at hand that they were to be gathered here.
Reinhardt nodded first to the two newest arrivals, then refocused on the remainder of the room. "As most of you are aware," he said, his voice settled and commanding, "we have all gathered here for a reason. There's been a new S-rank born into existence, he spoke on, his voice settled and authoritative. "This one, Rivyn, has come into his powers much quicker than any we've encountered thus far, and we've had very little trouble trying to locate him. He is not part of any guilds that we know of, nor does he have any obvious associations."
A murmur ran through the assembled S-ranks.
Yet, with each new S-rank that came along, though it was all so monumental, it was all the more unnerving because this Rivyn just seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Most S-ranks had been long-tenured, well-named members of the adventurer population before receiving that rank, their feats and gradual rise to power paving the way to recognition. Rivyn was the exception to that rule. He'd merely materialized out of thin air without warning, enshrouded in mystery, with no forerunner to his name.
Reinhardt added, "We also hear lately that he had been examined at the Adventist Guild and passed the S rank test with flying colours. Whereas we know nothing about his origin, purpose and capability. The inquires we made at the very beginning were. for naught.
The restlessness of the two who just entered, Aiden and Sofie, listened to the words of the minister. Bruises were marked upon their skin, their faces a mix of embarrassment and frustration. Inside, they knew the conversation would eventually flow their way, for their most recent encounter with Rivyn hadn't gone like any other.
One of the other S-ranks at the table, a man with short black hair and piercing emerald eyes, leaned in toward them at the look of discomfort. "Aiden, Sofie.what's with the bruises? Anything happen?"
Aiden and Sofie looked at each other; Sofie bit her lip, quite uncomfortable with all this attention. Besides, Aiden finally took a deep breath and decided to break the moment of silence. "Well. there is something you all ought to know. We recently had an encounter with this Rivyn."
In that instant, there was dead silence. Every single S-rank, much less even Minister Reinhardt, was focused entirely on him. The weight of those stares forced the atmosphere to stand at thick, and yet Aiden didn't show agitation.
"It was just a few nights ago," Aiden began, his tone silky, though laced with annoyance. "We were, at the time, in the black market area of the Empire, just conducting our business as usual. That's when we saw someone. someone whose face was completely shrouded with some type of dark mist. Of nothing could be seen about his features, and Sofie, feeling this was curious, wished to approach him, to see who or what he could be.
Sofie, seated beside him, lowered her head slightly, her embarrassment evident. "I didn't mean for things to escalate," she murmured quietly, just loud enough for the others to catch a faint glimpse of her words.
Aiden nodded to her before continuing, "But the moment we approached him, all hell broke loose. Sofie asked him a couple of questions, and this Rivyn—for all intents and purposes—ignored us. Not even a glance graced us. Of course, we were angry, but you know. it just didn't feel right. I mean, we're S-ranks, and to have anyone treat us as though we were invisible. the taste was bad in both our mouths."
The rest of the S-ranks in the room again exchanged a knowing look; most knew pride much deeper. S-ranks secured respect wherever they went, most of the time-to be as openly ignored as this would enrage anyone.
"I didn't want to fight," Aiden went on, "but Sofie got. a little angry." He cast a look at her and she was looking away, a flush rising to her cheeks. "She struck first-just a light probe really. But he dismissed it like it was something nothing.
Reinhardt's brow arched, and curiosity was most certainly awakened. "You swatted it away? What manner of attack did you utilize, Sofie?
Finally, Sofie found her voice, soft but unmistakably clear. "I used my earth spike spell. the very one I do to dispose of mid-tier monsters. It wasn't a strike of full force, but it ought to have garnered at least some reaction from him. Instead, he just brushed it aside, like some harmless, gentle breeze.
There was another murmur heard this time much louder. The earth spike spell from Sofie was not some kind of joke. Even weakened as it was, that could skewer an on-sight high ranking monster and kill all but the strongest rank B adventurers on-sight, and to see Rivyn dispel it like some trivial nuisance was deeply unnerving.
"Then?" one of the other S-ranks finally asked, his chair creaking as he leaned forward, interested.
Sighing, Aiden continued, "I joined in the fight, and as the opponent was that strong, I thought that this was worth a try. So I punched this fellow with quite some strength, but. it did not work. He flicked my fist aside, got me in an unstable position, and, well, before he knew what was happening, I was flying in front of him with one touch.
Exclamations of surprise and murmurs rang out around the room. After all, Aiden wasn't some frailty; he had enjoyed an S-rank for a good nearly two years now, and his extraordinary physical strength was among his better-known qualities. Nobody had ever managed to block him, not to mention send him flying so gracefully, with just one punch.
From there, Sofie continued to say, in a soft yet clear voice, "From there, I tried to cast a stronger spell; I wanted to hit him with something much bigger, but before I could even finish my incantation, he was on top of me. He broke my staff and knocked me out." The room was silent for a moment, the realization hitting them all heavy: two S-ranks, both in their own ways very prominent and with much experience, had just gotten themselves completely and entirely humiliated by this newbie. Well, that was a really cool wave to run down the spines of all who watched Rivyn manage with barely a bead of sweat broken.
Reinhardt listened intently to it and then spoke up, "Pray tell, let me understand this: this Rivyn bested you both in combat and came out unscathed?"
Aiden and Sofie nodded in unison, their faces grave. "Yes," said Aiden, in agreement. "He did not act tired nor hurt, nor even grazed from it. He just seemed to walk away as if nothing really happened."
In one motion, the other S-ranks in the room shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, from which the feeling of unease arose. Rivyn was quite the powerhouse, after all, and what little they did know about him only added to the discomfort.
But Minister Reinhardt, however, scented his chance: during months he had struggled to find a solution to the Empire's biggest problem at that moment-the 67th floor of the Tower.
The Tower had always been such an unrelenting source of power and terror within the Empire, but the 67th floor came to be that seal that could not be cracked. Every team ever sent in to defeat it came out as failures, and even the cooperation of many S-ranks couldn't even bring about a single shadow of actual betterment.
"If this Rivyn possesses the power that you speak of," Reinhardt began, his tone measured, words considerate, "then perhaps he is exactly what we need to take down the 67th floor."
And in an instant, the room was silent again, deep in their thoughts over his words. After all, Tower was a perilous place, monotonous with monsters and trials whose difficulty went up with each step upwards. Most adventurers never got past the 30th floor, and few of the best had ever stepped onto the 60th. The 67th, though-it was in a whole different league. Whispers spoke of it as a place where even S-ranks could barely survive.
There, one of the older S-ranks spoke-a grizzled man whose arms and face were scarred by a multitude of battles. "You want to recruit him? Pull him in and send him into the Tower with us?" Reinhardt nodded in concurrence. "Exactly, we've been stuck on the same floor for far too long, and time is running out. The monsters get stronger, while we just can't afford the continuous loss of adventurers. If Rivyn is anywhere near as good as he seems to be, he may well prove to be our answer to moving up a notch. The rest of the S-ranks looked at each other, a mixture of disbelieving and interest crossing their faces to show they still were unsure about Rivyn, but the prospect of finally defeating the 67th floor proved too great a lure.
There was silence for a second or two, before Sofie spoke again. "How, though? He's not exactly making it easy to track him, is he?"
Reinhardt smiled only, the spark in his eyes already a decision. "Leave that to me. I have my ways."
Meanwhile, back at Rivyn's house, the man had no idea of the conversations that had been and were continuing about him. He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a forlorn expression. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks swirled within his mind like a maelstrom-from the rapid rise to S-rank to the harrowing encounters within the black market. Now, though, he had reached a fork in the road. For the first time in a long while, Rivyn felt indecisive: the power his, the abilities, the system up until now guiding him, yet still just the feeling that something fundamentally important was missing would not leave him be.
His mind went to Basic Crafter, the skill that was literally the first ability the system gave him.
It had been with him since the very beginning, allowing him to craft items, accessories, and concoct potions that were better than most he came across in the Empire. Now, though, it felt. hindering. It was as if, somehow, he had grown beyond it. Rivyn realized the system gave him chances to upgrade his abilities, and Basic Crafter did not stray from this rule.
But unlike most of those skills, which only took 50 to 80 system points to advance, Basic Crafter required a whopping 100 points. By that time, he had spent only 20 system points, considering he had spent quite a fair deal on several other skills. That really irritated him because he wanted to see what Basic Crafter could do if he upgraded it. He wanted to unleash its full potential, but he knew that would take some more points.
Rivyn sat up in bed, propped with pillows, and stared at the system status-the all-too-familiar red screen flickering before him.
[Current System Points: 20]
He let out a sigh, knowing this would take time, but he was a patient man. Rivyn knew once the points were many, it would be a very big reward, for he had seen what this system was capable of doing, and it was limitless in its choices. But for now, he should still be focused on other things: hunting monsters, exploring dungeons, and of course, more crafting. Rivyn could feel the next great opportunity just a hair's breadth away with the world standing before him, endless expanses where anything was possible with the power at his fingertips.