Amongst the several messages Kieran received, most of which involved his members asking about his whereabouts, Kieran paid attention to five messages in particular.
The first message that entered Kieran's radar was a few messages from Altair.
Altair: We haven't heard from you for a few days, is everything alright? Before you misunderstand, the others asked me to reach out. I'm not that worried about you. Anyway, seeing as nothing has gone awry with your body, I can only assume that you're not undergoing some perilous task.
A slight smirk appeared across Kieran's lips as he read the first message from Altair.
Despite Altair trying to convince him otherwise, Kieran could feel the slight concern embedded in Altair's message.
While inside the Ancient Rune Oasis, Kieran lost all contact with the outside world, incapable of interacting with his User Interface. As a result, even logging out was impossible.
But because of the unknown time dilation present inside the Immaterial Plane, Kieran never once had an urge to log out.
Without the concrete passage of time, Kieran's body didn't necessarily have to adapt to anything. Not to mention, his actual body was suspended in a nameless place where the concept of time didn't exist.
'I suppose the others grew worried when I didn't log out for days on end. Fortunately, I consumed enough X-hancers before logging in,' Kieran inwardly thought.
A few seconds later, Kieran moved on to Altair's second message.
Altair: Although you're out of reach, I feel I should fill you in regarding my current situation in case you make any plans. Long story short, after reaching Lv.50 in your absence, I approached the Assassin Mentor and tried to partake in my Class Advancement, but it was unsuccessful. Not because I failed, but because the mentor felt my skills, after displaying my incomplete Darkness Excursion Steps, would be wasted traveling upon a normal path. So… I am now on a journey to seek Zephyr in the Buried Shade. I am unsure when I'll return.
The message was timestamped with a date from two days ago, which meant Altair should be well into his journey by now.
The Buried Shade was an area devoid of sun and it was located on the edge of the Northern Continent, Nelorias.
The landscape's structure consisting oddly shaped mountains that engulfed the area, leading it to appear as if it was buried by ample land and its high concentration of Dark Mana was the source of the Buried Shade's apt name.
'Ah, I should have expected as much. Someone like Zephyr, who thrives in darkness, is likely to be found in a place saturated by it. I don't think Altair obtained this by himself, he must have met without another high-ranking character which triggered the quest."
As Kieran presumed, a somewhat high-ranking individual was involved. Altair received his quest from a Vice Guild Master of the Adventurers' Guild, focused on the path of an Assassin.
'I guess his Darkness Excursion Steps that meld seamlessly with an Assassin's Stealth is the reason he was pointed in the direction of the Shadow Dancer. If this is the event that caused him to accept the mantle in the past, then I haven't done much aside from accelerating when he would receive the class,' Kieran mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
At first, he suspected his actions were beginning to alter the timeline greatly, but Altair following a somewhat similar path relieved Kieran.
Fast forwarding the inevitable could undoubtedly have effects down the line that Kieran couldn't account for but as of right now, his plans didn't veer off their intended course.
At least, not as Kieran feared.
The trial and outcome with the Wykins far exceeded Kieran's expectations, but it wasn't detrimental. On the contrary, receiving this Mystic Runemaster class was an unprecedented advantage.
According to Scar, if he wanted to repair Crimson Ashrune to its former glory, the blade's Source Runes required mending or a renewal.
Such a task was accomplishable only by an extremely skilled Enchanter.
But even then, the odds weren't perfect nor were they high. Because of Crimson Ashrune's unique circumstance, it required someone skilled enough to puncture the material without causing further deterioration.
However, repairing Crimson Ashrune wasn't his priority for a few reasons.
'The Imprint of Might's effects have lessened my need to correct Crimson Ashrune in the short term, but it's not a viable long-term solution. I'll worry about the materials at a later date. In the meantime, I can take advantage of Agatha's words.'
Earlier, Agatha had revealed that the Mystic Runemaster encompassed several different Professions. As a result of this, while judged as a subclass, Kieran could still reap the benefits of its being viewed as a jumbled Profession.
One consequence of this, though, was that the Mystic Runemaster class couldn't be leveled up by monster-hunting or clearing quests unless it was strictly related to the class.
The only way Kieran could level the subclass was through understanding his mystic abilities, which in this case related to wordmancing.
Setting aside Altair's message, Kieran moved on to the second matter.
It was a message from Aspaira.
[Aspaira: Aatrox, I have reached the medical center and settled in, so when you log out, I'd love to meet you instead of staring at your motionless body! Besides that, I'd also like to inform you that you're talking to a genuine True Alchemist with a decent amount of experience! I've succeeded!]
Kieran felt genuine joy after reading Aspaira's message.
Because he had accounted for the inflation of material prices, Kieran had Sithik and Cygnus deliver some Gold when they revealed their reserves were tapped out.
As a result, Aspaira's alchemic practice continued unabated.
Meanwhile, Agatha noticed Kieran's unusual grin and blinked. "Why are you so happy? Is this massive crowd of people somehow enjoyable to you? …Freak."
"What?" Kieran blinked, averting his gaze from the message before his eyes. He looked at Agatha strangely, soon revealing a scornful expression. "You're calling me a freak? When you impersonated a granny? Speaking of which… what was your agenda then?"
"Agenda…?" Agatha coughed, clearing her throat with a wry smile. "Let's just say I was confirming a few suspicions."
"That answer makes you even more suspicious," Kieran commented with narrowed eyes.
Nevertheless, he didn't stay on this topic for too long and instead decided to reply to Aspaira and Altair's messages.
He ensured Altair that it was best he focused on his current journey and ignored the matters of the party while also notifying Aspaira that he'd meet with her soon and congratulate her properly.
Once that matter was settled, Kieran moved on to dealing with the third set of intriguing messages, which involved Ezra.
Ezra: I took your advice and condensed the number of Lifestyle workers I have officially contracted, but I can't help but question if it's the right decision. The success of these Forgers is horrendous, Aatrox!
Reading through Ezra's message, Kieran chuckled softly.
Rampant failure was to be expected when trying to advance a Profession. The best teacher for any Lifestyle Player was failure because it taught the players what not to do by highlighting their mistakes.
While it was truly a terrifying gold sink, the quicker they refined their skills, the faster their value would become evident.
Dismissing this message, Kieran moved on to the next one.
Ezra: Have you taken a look at Daedric's recent announcement? Supposedly, he claims that the limelight will no longer be yours. Now that he has gone on a relentless dungeon clearing spree, many viewers have flocked to him and he has similarly received a massive amount of offers to join several guilds due to him previously being a free agent player.
A free agent in terms of the gaming industry referred to a player on the Explemar Record that wasn't contracted to a guild.
'Oh? Is the Goliath class inflating his ego?'
Kieran found the situation laughable because while Daedric had just adopted his class, Kieran had time to mature with his Mythical Mantle.
Because of Daedric's claims, Kieran felt he was being too tame in regards to asserting dominance.
In the middle of the city, Kieran cracked his neck so loud that it echoed. A brewing battlethirst bubbled up inside him after reading Ezra's second message.
Steal his spotlight? Inconceivable!
Afterward, Kieran looked at Ezra's final message.
Ezra: Beware, Aatrox! I have sighted Soulless along with Vielens within Aeredale City. If you're not aware of Soulless' identity, he is the Vice-Guild Master of Umbra! In terms of physical prowess, he is far stronger than I am. I suspect that he's entered an inhuman realm of physical ability.
'Soulless? A Titled Ranker in the higher echelon?'
Rather than fear, Kieran revealed an enthusiastic grin.
There was only one reason someone like Soulless would appear in a small city like Aeredale City—for him!
Kieran awaited whatever foolish challenge they had in store for him. Though Soulless had the force of an Overlord guild behind him, Kieran possessed the ability of a true monster.
Pushing aside Ezra's warning for the moment, Kieran then looked toward the two final messages which came from Hamon and Sorcia.
Hamon: I'll meet with you to hear out this offer of yours.
Sorcia: Your offer is somewhat intriguing. I'm in Aeredale City if you're willing to discuss it further.
