Noel had arrived near the oasis. It was the time he got entranced by the beauty of the oasis.
He never thought that an extremely dry place like this would have a huge lake. The water brought life to its surroundings.
There were a few trees standing tall, surrounded by a few green grasses and bushes. It was a completely different world. The temperature in this place was also lower than the rest.
"This is…" Noel was astounded for a moment, watching the oasis. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to continue looking at the oasis, he still had a task to do.
Noel searched for the city guards to ask for the recruitment building. After a few minutes, he finally saw a guard and approached him.
"Hello." Noel politely greeted him.
"Is there something wrong?" The guard frowned.
"I've heard that there is a recruitment building around here. I'm a bit curious, so I want to take a look."
The guard didn't have a change of expression even though there was a foreigner asking for it. It seemed that they had recruited a lot of people, that the guard grew numb to this. He just considered Noel as another recruit and pointed to the left. "If you walk in this direction for five minutes, you should be able to find the building. You should be able to recognize it straight away since there are a lot of guards over there."
"Alright. Thank you." Noel nodded and immediately followed the direction, wondering how many people were there.
As the guard explained, it wasn't that hard for Noel to find the recruitment building. Outside the building, he could see a big stand where a lot of guards stood by.
Because the recruitment lasted for a whole month, the place didn't have a long line. There were only a few normal people trying to test their might so that they got a chance to be recruited.
There were a few giant boulders and a few lines on the ground. The people were trying to move the boulder or running on top of the lines. It seemed to be a test.
Instead of lining up, Noel approached one of the guards that were slightly far away from the recruitment process.
"Hello."
"If you want to register, you have to line up. There is no special treatment." The guard only pointed at the counter as if he was tired of the people who wanted to join through the back door.
"No, I'm just wondering what kind of mystical place all of you are planning to visit." Noel shook his head. "If I'm piqued, I might join as well."
The guard frowned, looking at Noel, who was so young. He doubted that someone like Noel could be accepted, especially since Noel was a foreigner.
"Don't waste my time." The guard sneered out loud.
"…" Noel was speechless, wondering if he had made a wrong judgment. Earlier, the local was so good that he offered another skewer. However, it seemed that not all of them were that good. He also understood how tired the guard was though.
However, Noel was slightly disturbed since he came here to ask. He was also polite enough.
Noel let out a sigh in disappointment and said, "Since you aren't going to answer my question, then…"
Instead of bothering himself with this type of person, he planned to change to another person.
Luckily, the guard would actually explain it to him.
"The mystical place that we're going to explore is an underground ruin. We aren't aware of the interior yet because the ruin is surrounded by a lot of demons. We believe there are approximately a total of one thousand demons. There should be a lot of Peak Level Demons. That's why the protector is assembling the people."
"I see. I could see a lot of experts all around the town." Noel nodded in understanding.
"That's right. We've managed to gain about three hundred experts. There are also a lot of people that will support this campaign."
"Is there anything noticeable from the ruin?" Noel asked.
"According to the information, the area around the ruin has a lower temperature. That's why there is an indication that another oasis can be born from it."
Noel contemplated for a moment and asked, "So, I have to pass the test if I want to join?"
"Yes. You have to register at the counter and complete the test."
"Alright then." Noel nodded. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
After getting the information, Noel lined up with the rest of the people, registering himself.
When he was lining up, he could feel the gaze coming from the building.
"Hmm?" Noel raised his head. The gaze was slightly disturbing him because it felt like it was trying to see through him.
A middle-aged man was actually standing behind one of the windows. It seemed that Noel managed to pique this guy's interest.
When their gazes met, Noel and the middle-aged man furrowed their eyebrows as if realizing each other's intention.
Name: Legolaz
Affection: Neutral (5/100)
Description: Cautious of you.
At first glance, Noel had a hard time measuring Legolaz's power as the latter was deliberately hiding his power. However, after observing him a bit more, he realized that Legolaz was actually a Spirit Grandmaster. The fact that he could hide his energy that well made him believe Legolaz wasn't a normal Spirit Grandmaster.
He doubted he was as strong as Dimitri, but he shouldn't be far from it.
It seemed that this campaign was more dangerous than he expected.
Fortunately, Legolaz soon stepped back as if he had just let Noel do whatever he wanted.
So, Noel registered his name. Considering he was in another country, he used his alias to register.
Unbeknownst to him, Legolaz didn't step back for him. Instead, he was going to report what he found.
After moving away from the window, Legolaz walked to a different room. This room was on the opposite side of the building.
A graceful man was sitting on his chair while writing something. He had long curly hair tied on his back. His skin was tanned like everyone else. He might look gentle, but if one took a close look, they would notice the raging Spiritual Energy his body was exuding.
"Legolaz? Is there something wrong?"
"As usual, I was taking a look at the recruitment. It seems that we've got yet another interesting recruit."
The young man raised his eyebrows. "Hoh? For you to show an interest in that recruit, it seems that he is quite exceptional."
"He is probably the only one who manages to see through me."
"!!!" The young man dropped his pencil with a shocked expression. "Saw through you? Saw through the great Legolaz?"
"Yes. Although I don't know how much he sees, he should have seen through my true strength. Despite that, he doesn't show any sign of fear or shock as if I'm still at the level he won't need to worry."
"Hoh?" The young man became interested after the explanation. "And what is that guy's strength?"
"He is only a Spirit Master. However, I feel like he won't lose to a new Spirit Grandmaster. A few Peak Level Demons shouldn't be a problem for him."
"Interesting." The young man smiled. "I think I should meet him."
"I don't think it's wise to do that."
"Why?" He couldn't understand. Since such a person appeared, he should personally greet him to make that person enjoy the stay.
But Legolaz gave him the reason that made him change his mind. "Because that person doesn't come from this country. From his features, he should come from either the Muivell Kingdom or Greenwood Kingdom. Considering the Muivell Kingdom is closer, he should come from there."
"So, a foreigner…" The man looked down, contemplating.
"You should be aware of your status. If you easily meet such a person, our country will lose its face. That's why, with your permission, please let me be the one to meet him."
"Your status is not low either, Legolaz. For a Great Protector to greet a foreigner, the other party should be a distinguished guest or a noble from that kingdom. But since he has the strength to back him up, I guess I'll give you permission. Report everything about him to me later."
"Understood…my prince."
…
A few minutes later.
Noel had completed his test with flying colors. However, a middle-aged man that he saw earlier stood in his way.
Noel was confused as he didn't know what the other party was planning to do by stopping him like this.
But it was clear that he didn't plan to fight him because the affection had changed.
Name: Legolaz
Affinity: Neutral (23/100)
Description: He has taken an interest in you.
Noel and Legolaz remained still while glaring at each other as though they were observing each other.
Noel was the first to break the silence by asking, "Is there anything I can help you with? You've been looking at me the whole time."
