Click—!
The usual clicking sound rang out, and three heads rolled on the ground.
Of the three demons I had just killed, none were titled demons, and as such, they died by a simple tap of my sword.
—Rumble!
It was then that the ground suddenly shook. Turning my head and staring towards the distance, where the sound came from, I soon spotted two figures standing in the sky face to face with each other.
One figure resembled a human, while the other was the same demon from before. The Marquis ranked one.
"Is that Waylan?"
Upon closer look, I realized that the human figure was non-other than Waylan Roshfield, Emma's father.
'…so they've decided to send him out?'
From what I've heard, each side of the city had multiple <S> ranked individuals assigned.
Being on the safer side, the northern area had fewer assigned <S> ranks, and from the looks of it, Waylan was part of the group in charge of keeping the northern area safe.
There were definitely more waiting on standby, but it seems like they've thought that Waylan was enough.
—BOOOM!
A strong gale suddenly brushed past me.
This came as a result of Waylan and the demon releasing their aura in the sky.
"Ukhh…"
Leaning forward slightly and covering my face with my arm, I tried my best to remain balanced. My clothes fluttered wildly, and a paper-like sound echoed next to my ears.
The already oppressive air became even more oppressive, and the colors black and gold suddenly enveloped the sky.
Soon, the two majestic auras clashed together.
***
[Ashton city, Starlight guild.]
Clank—!
"This way, young master."
The limousine soon stopped in front of an enormous modern building.
The building had a streamlined design with glass coating the outer surface of the building. The minimalistic and simplistic design of the building was indeed a sight to those that saw it from below.
In fact, it was so well designed that it had become a tourist attraction to those that came from outside of Ashton city.
Casually glancing at the building, Jin followed Eleonore inside.
Standing at the building entrance were a lot of people that ranged from heroes, mercenaries, agents, and tourists. All were eagerly trying their best to enter the place.
Jin didn't have much trouble entering the building as Eleonore's aura made those that obstructed their path move away in fear.
The interior of the building was finely decorated with neat and simplistic furniture that perfectly complemented the calm ambiance of the place.
Having been in this place ever since young, Jin casually glanced at his surroundings before heading deeper into the building.
As he walked, all of the staff bowed their heads in reverence.
Had it been the old Jin, he would've savored the looks coming from the staff, but now he was different.
He no longer cared for such looks.
Di Ding—!
Stopping in front of the elevator, the door soon opened, and Eleonore stopped to the side to let Jin in.
"Young master, please."
Lowering his head in acknowledgment, Jin entered the elevator. Eleonore followed after and pressed on the bottom that led to the highest floor.
As soon as she pressed on the bottom, the elevator reached the top floor within a couple of seconds.
It was so fast that by the time the doors closed, they immediately opened after.
Di Ding—!
Exiting the elevator and casually looking around the top floor, Jin turned right and walked towards a certain office.
In front of the office was a small reception where a male receptionist greeted him with a smile.
"Young Master, the master is waiting for you."
"I understand."
Walking past the receptionist, Jin stopped in front of a large wooden door.
[Starlight guild, Senior Guildmaster, Evangelion Horton]
"Come in."
As if they were able to sense Jin's presence, a cold and aged voice rang out from the other side of the door.
Creak—!
Blinking slowly, Jin opened and door and entered the office. As he entered, he made sure to shut the door behind him.
"Jin."
The moment Jin entered the room, the same aged voice from before reached his ears.
With his hands behind his back and gazing outside of the window of the office, Jin saw his grandfather.
Despite his age, he looked to be in his fifties. He had a sturdy back, with wide shoulders and blonde hair. Though his hair did have some white hair mixed into them, he did not look over fifty.
But, Jin was not fooled by his appearance.
He knew very well how old this man was; one hundred and five years old.
"Grandfather."
Greeting him, Jin sat on the sofa opposite the main desk.
With his back still facing Jin, Evangelion asked.
"Do you know why I called you here?"
"I do not."
Jin shook his head.
His grandfather was always someone that did things on a whim, so he had no idea about his purpose in asking him here.
"…is that so?"
Turning around, Evangelion looked at Jin.
With a small smile, he walked towards his desk and sat down.
Leaning back on his oversized leather chair, Evangelion took a good look at Jin.
The more he looked, the greater the satisfaction in his face grew.
"Almost <C> rank at the age of 18, very impressive. You're even more talented than your father back when he was your age."
Jin's rate of progression was outstanding.
Although Jin had a lot of resources poured into him, that didn't mean that he would be guaranteed success immediately. His current achievements were a testament to his hard work.
His current achievements were fundamentally all due to his own efforts.
Crossing his arms, Evangelion went straight to the point.
"…Since you've come of age and you've shown me your immense talent, I've decided that it is finally time for me to hand over to you the family five-star martial manual."
[Cry of the fallen]
Was the name of the five-star martial manual, and it was a dagger art that was solely handed down to the Horton first in line inheritors.
"Although it is a tough technique to learn, once you learn it, nothing will stop you from reaching the top and carrying the Starlight guild to greater heights."
"…"
Listening to his grandfather, Jin's face remained stoic. As though the five-star manual was nothing in his eyes.
This obviously did not go unnoticed by Evangelion, who curiously asked.
"What's wrong? You don't like my arrangements?"
"I'm satisfied."
Jin replied.
Although he didn't show it outwardly, he was actually quite satisfied with the arrangement.
But that was it.
Satisfied.
He knew just how much effort was required to make the manual into something truly formidable.
It would take hours upon hours of blood, sweat, and tears before he could finally utilize the manual properly. Only upon finally reaching that point would he truly be happy.
"Since you're satisfied, I will give you the art now."
Evangelion was a man who did not like to waste time. Listening to what Jin said, he decided to quickly give him the sword art.
Motioning Jin to come closer to him, Evangelion pressed his index finger on his forehead.
Instantly, a white hue enveloped Jin's body completely. Following this, floods of the information entered his mind.
For the next couple of minutes, Jin stood still like a statue with his eyes closed tightly.
After a while, opening his eyes, the aura around Jin changed.
If before, it was cold and carried hints of arrogance, it was now calm.
His usual cold demeanor melted slightly, and what replaced it was a calm one that seemed as though it would remain calm despite being in the direst of situations.
Lowering his head, Jin softly muttered.
"Status."
===Status===
Name : Jin Horton
Rank : C -
Strength : C
Agility : B -
Stamina : C
Intelligence : C
Mana capacity : C -
Luck : D -
Charm : B +
--> Profession :
[Assassin lvl.5]
--> Martial Manual :
[★★★★ Shadow harvester] - Essence realm of mastery
Dagger art primarily focused on lightning-fast attacks that slice through the air at astonishing speeds. The greater the mastery, the faster each swing becomes making each attack harder to defend against.
[★★★★ Void link] - Greater realm of mastery
Movement art that enables user to momentarily move between shadows. The greater the mastery, the longer the user can travel between shadows. Speed of user inside of shadow is tripled, and when exiting the shadow, user speed will be considerably boosted for a couple of seconds.
[★★★★★ Cry of the fallen]
An eighteen-stroke dagger art that becomes progressively faster and stronger with each strike. Upon completion of the eighteenth stroke, the attack magnifies by a factor of 18.
--> Skills :
[{E} Mana conglomoration]
A skill that enables user to gather all of their mana into a singular point and letting it explode in one swift attack that multiplies the attack power by a factor of ten.
[{F} Light eye]
A skill that stimulates the neurons located in the eyes, enabling the user to enhance their vision. From being able to see further away, to being able to see at night and being able to slow down the world around him. Light eye enables user to enhance ocular functions.
==========
Jin was satisfied with what he saw.
Although he didn't have many skills and arts in his arsenal, each and every single one of their mastery was above the greater realm of mastery with his previous main dagger art even reaching the essence realm of mastery.
Although it was a bit of a pity for him to suddenly switch his dagger art, at the end of the day what really mattered was the level of his profession.
Now that it had leveled up all the way to level five, reaching greater heights with his new art wasn't going to be a problem.
Plus, he could still use his old dagger art whenever he wanted to.
"How are you feeling?"
Disrupting Jin out of his moment, Evangelion opened his mouth and asked with a slight smile on his face.
"You like the new art?"
Turning his attention back towards his grandfather, Jin faintly nodded his head.
"Yes, I like it a lot."
"That's great."
Evangelion muttered with great satisfaction.
Closing the status window, Jin asked.
"Is there anything else you wish to ask of me, grandfather?"
Eyeing Jin from the side of his eyes, Evangelon's face became serious.
"Looks like you've realized that this wasn't the only reason I called you here. So for now, sit."
Evangelion pointed at the seat behind Jin.
Doing as his grandfather instructed, Jin sat down.
Propping his elbows on his desk, Evangelion interlocked his hands together.
"The third and fourth rank guilds have recently contacted me with an offer."
His words instantly caused Jin, who was seated down, to frown.
"What is the offer?"
"They want to create an alliance with us to take down the Demon hunter guild."
"The Demon hunter guild?"
Jin tilted his head to the side.
"Even if we combine forces, we won't be able to take them down."
Evangelion shook his head.
"You might not know this, but reports have said that the guild master of the Demon hunter guild has gone missing."
"…missing?"
The frown on Jin's face deepened. It was then that a sudden look of understanding appeared on his face as he leaned backward.
'Is this why Amanda left the academy?'
If so, this made a lot of sense.
Based on what he knew about her, she was the type of person that would shoulder all responsibilities by herself.
Her choice of leaving the Lock did not make sense to Jin before, but now he finally understood why she did what she did.
Jin asked, lifting his head and looking at his grandfather straight in the eyes.
"Why have you told me this?"
Evangelion pushed a stack of papers to the side of the desk.
"...I wanted to know your opinion. Should I accept the offer or not?"
"No."
Jin responded without a hint of hesitation.
His quick response was unexpected as Evangelion quickly became curious.
"Elaborate. Tell me why we shouldn't take the offer."
Standing up, Jin's calm face slowly turned into one of disgust.
"...Since when have we the Horton family ever allied ourselves with others to gang up on someone?"
"If we want to get rid of the Demon hunter guild, then we do it ourselves, not with the combined powers of the others. Not only would that make us look weak to the others, but it would also destroy the reputation that we've built."
Pausing, Jin carefully looked towards the window that overlooked the city from above.
"On another note, if we help them, all we'd be doing is putting a target on ourselves."
Once the Demon hunter guild was gone, Starlight guild would become the next first ranked guild and from there the cycle would repeat.
Even if they came up with a deal, at the end of the day, there were no allies in front of profit. Before they could realize what had happened, they'd suddenly find a knife stabbed in their back.
...and it was because of these factors that he believed refusing the offer would be the most ideal option.
"If they really want to take down the Demon hunter guild, let them. We can just stand by the side and reap the profits after. Though I'd doubt they would really do that."
Looking back at his grandfather, Jin seriously said.
"If you really want to surpass the Demon hunter guild, do it through our own merits rather than by stealing them."
"…"
Wordlessly staring at his nephew from behind his desk, a large smile soon appeared on Evangelon's face.
"Looks like we're on the same page."
