Just like any other time he entered Damian's office, Valyr was greeted by the sight of the man before him sifting through various documents on his desk, all with a pensive expression on his face. Closing the door before him, Valyr waited for Damian to finish what he was doing, deciding to take a seat on a nearby chair.
Fortunately, he did not have to wait that long, with Damian neatly arranging the documents he was going through on the side a couple minutes later. With that, he looked at Valyr, who, at first glance, instantly made Damian's pupils shrink in surprise as he did not expect Valyr to return to the village this early. There was still some time before the monster tide, after all.
"Did you finish what you needed to do?" Damian asked.
Nodding, Valyr replied, "Yeah. I'm finally Level 10."
Just as Damian was about to ask a question that seemed to be a natural follow-up to his words, Valyr interrupted him, telling him, "If I'm thinking what you're thinking, then no. I haven't ascended yet."
"You haven't?" At this moment, Damian's mouth could not help but go agape, certain that Valyr had undergone through his ascension to Rank 1. After all, that alone would explain the feeling he felt from Valyr at the moment.
To him, Valyr seemed to emanate the feeling that he was only slightly inferior in power, if not his equal.
'You're telling me he hasn't ascended yet, but he already exudes a level of power comparable to those at the peak of Rank 1?' With this thought circling around his mind, Damian could not help but scratch his head, wondering how such a man like Valyr ended up in this village with his talent. 'For him to have the power of a Rank 1 while still at Rank 0, there's no saying what kind of achievements he might accomplish in the future.'
'I guess it's the Astarto Village's good luck that he decided to stay here.' With that in mind, a genuine smile appeared on Damian's face as he let out a light chuckle, surprising Valyr as he hadn't seen the man before him laugh before. Nevertheless, Valyr knew that Damian wouldn't laugh like that for a reason.
'Is it because he's relieved that there's finally another person in the village with power on par with a Rank 1?' Valyr thought to himself. 'After all, the more people with power on par with a Rank 1 class holder, the better our chances at winning the monster tide.'
If Damian were to hear Valyr's thoughts right now, then he would have nodded in agreement, saying that he would be correct. However, that was only one reason as to why he chuckled. Instead, the main reason why he let out a chuckle was the relief he felt after realizing Valyr's monstrous potential, thinking that if Valyr were continued growing at this pace, then the safety of their village would be more or less guaranteed.
Clearing his throat to catch Valyr's attention, Damian looked at Valyr directly in the eye before saying, "Although I'm curious as to why you haven't ascended yet, that's something I shouldn't be privy to. After all, every person has their own for choosing what they did."
"However, I should reward you for your loyalty to the village, considering that I haven't attached any reward to the quest I gave you." After saying those words, a screen appeared in front of Damian's field of vision, prompting him to interact with it for a bit as a notification sound resounded in Valyr's mind soon after.
Ding!
[The quest 'Return to Astarto Village' has been modified by the quest giver.]
[You have received 1,000 XP.]
[You have received 200 contribution points.]
[You have received 200 merit points.]
Looking through the notifications he had received, Valyr's eyes could not help but widen slightly as he looked at Damian, who looked at him with a light smile on his face. "Consider it a thanks from me that you've upheld your promise."
"Anyways, I won't have you stay here any further. You're free to leave," he said soon after. "Just remember to not leave the village for the next week."
"I'll keep that in mind." Valyr nodded, turning around before leaving the office. "Thank you, Damian."
With that, Valyr left the premises as Damian looked at fleeting silhouette for a bit with a smile. While Damian returned to his work, Valyr made a quick detour to the cafeteria to grab a slightly heavy meal, considering that he hadn't eaten lunch nor dinner yet. After he felt that his hunger was satiated, he then went to his dormitory and took a quick shower, changing into a fresh set of loose clothes sometime later.
Lying down on his bed, Valyr allowed the exhaustion he had been enduring so far to envelop his body as he eventually fell into a deep sleep.
…
Once morning had arrived, Valyr gradually opened his eyes, feeling that his body had more energy in it than ever before. Although he wondered why he felt more awake than any previous morning, Valyr eventually thought that it had something to do with the drastic increase in his stats as he took a quick shower.
After getting out of the shower, he changed into a set of clean clothes before affixing the bloodied spear he had dropped on the floor last night to his back, feeling that his connection with it seemed to be growing, though it felt somewhat intangible. Nevertheless, he placed those thoughts at the back of his head as he recalled the main reason why he woke up early.
With that in mind, he left the barracks at a slightly brisk pace, deciding to forgo breakfast for now as the completion of Tristan's quest was more important to his eyes.
Eventually, just as the sun had fully peaked out of the horizon, Valyr had arrived at the village smithy, the doors of which were just opened by the man that lived in the smithy.
Still somewhat groggy, Tristan looked at the man that had appeared in front of the smithy before it was officially open, only to realize that he recognized the man somehow. After a few seconds, his consciousness eventually became fully alert as his eyes widened in surprise. "V-V… Valyr?"
"It's been quite some time since we've last met, but I've accomplished your quest," said Valyr with a grin, letting Tristan feel a hint of the power he currently held.
Naturally, with the power he felt from Valyr, Tristan quickly noticed that Valyr's current power exceeded what was possible for a Rank 0 to wield. With that, it was no surprise that he asked him, "Did you ascend to Rank 1?"
"Not yet." Valyr shook his head. Nevertheless, Tristan was still somewhat skeptical.
"[Analysis]," Tristan muttered a few seconds later, his eyes gaining a light blue tint to it as mana swirled around his eyes. A few seconds later, this light blue tint disappeared as his mouth went slightly slack-jawed. "To think you're actually still Level 10…"
"I did say the truth." Valyr shrugged his shoulders. "It was you who didn't believe me."
"My doubts have reasons to them, alright?" Tristan slightly frowned. "After all, who would believe a Rank 0 class holder to have a level of power equivalent to someone at Rank 1? What kind of experience did you even go through?"
Just as Tristan thought Valyr would answer his question, Valyr instead beat around the bush, making Tristan feel somewhat disappointed. "An experience that allowed me to reach my current level of power, of course."
"Anyways, give me the rewards for the quest."
