Several hours later…
After bonding with Scar for a few more hours, Kieran had Scar take a look at Crimson Ashrune to check if anything was amiss. Back when he fought against Soulless, he felt something unusual occur within the blade.
For him, it was difficult to put into words. With that in mind, he thought that perhaps Scar could find out the flaw since he was most intimately related with Crimson Ashrune.
With a simple brief analysis, Scar found the issue and looked at Kieran with a wry smile. "There's energy leaking from that fracture in the blade. Though the increase in the leak is only marginal at best, it's clear that the blade continues to suffer damage," Scar remarked.
"I see… but at my level, I shouldn't be able to damage a weapon that's considered on par with an Epic Weapon," Kieran muttered, somewhat embittered by the situation.
Crimson Ashrune was too decent of a weapon for him to simply let it break and not feel a shred of pain like with the Scarlet Steel Greatsword. Sadly, Scar had already revealed that the damage caused by the power he had unleashed could not be corrected by the weapon's creator.
After all, how could a dwarf understand the complexity of a Monarch's power? It was beyond their understanding.
"That would be true if you were a normal boy, but you're not. It's faint, but I can sense remnants of your Aspect hidden within the corrosion. However, this corrosion isn't just related to the blade's source rune. The material that encases the rune is also being corroded," Scar revealed.
Once again, Kieran felt a pang of pain grip his heart. Still curious about Scar's opinion, Kieran asked him a deeper question. "If you had to gauge the power of my Aspect, even though it's still in its incomplete and adolescent form, what would you grade it as?"
"Hmm… judging it by its purity alone, I'd put it on par with a Third Phase Awakener. The intensity, however… upper-class Advanced—maybe entry-level First Phase Awakener. When combined, it should suffice to damage an Awakened Being. That being said, you'd need a forged Legendary Weapon at the very least to withstand the toll of your power," Scar said after ample consideration.
One's State of Being wasn't the only way to bridge the gap in the power divide. If one chanced upon incredible abilities that could narrow the disparity, it was possible to fight above one's State of Being.
Granted, obtaining victory was another dilemma altogether. After reaching the height of an Advanced Being or an Awakened Being, everyone possessed a trump card that most weaker people could not withstand.
Since Scar had appraised the damage done to Crimson Ashrune, he put it down, resolving himself to be more careful of unleashing whatever caused the corrosion of his blade. It was his power… yet he knew and understood nothing about it.
Shockingly enough, when he rewatched his stream, he didn't catch any glimpse whatsoever of what caused Soulless' unbridled trepidation. All he witnessed was Soulless simply staring above his head before paling and almost losing himself.
'I'm definitely missing something here… but that's a matter for another day,' Kieran thought.
Not long after, Kieran waved to Scar and bade farewell, soon traveling to the Teleportation Hall.
As he walked, Kieran retrieved Isadora's Recommendation Letter and gazed at it.
According to her, it should suffice to help him obtain a VIP membership. Though, Kieran wondered if this was completely true.
A VIP membership had another name—an honorary membership.
However, becoming honored by the Merchant Association required such a large donation that even Kieran's current wealth couldn't accommodate the cost.
With that said, Kieran began to question just what she wrote within the letter to be so confident that he'd become a VIP. Unable to contain his curiosity, Kieran unraveled the ribbon and perused the content of the note.
The more he read through it, the more shocked Kieran grew, soon coming to a complete stop before the doors of the Hero's Sanctuary's Teleportation Hall.
Baffled, Kieran read some of the contents out loud. "I am indebted to the holder of this letter. Honoring this letter is the same as having me in your debt as well. If you assist this young individual, there may be a time in the future when you may call upon my favor."
At the end of the note was Isadora's signature, her signature stamp, and her unique Mana signature that could not be replicated. After all, everyone's Mana signature was unique, functioning similarly to a fingerprint.
Trickery could suffice to fool some security measure, but it would never be the genuine one. On top of that, some trained eyes knew how to detect fakes, even the best of them.
"I'm grateful I picked up this class. Without it, I wouldn't have received these series of quests that seem to be creating a domino effect," Kieran muttered.
Stowing the letter a second later, Kieran entered the Teleportation Hall and greeted Zaragosa.
"Returning to Aeredale, are you?" Zaragosa questioned, barely opening a single eye.
"For the time being, yes. You know what they say—there's no rest for the wicked. And with all this journeying, I guess fate had deemed me to be wicked." Kieran sighed, dramatically lamenting his circumstances.
However, Zaragosa felt differently, looking at Kieran with a meaningful glint in his eyes.
"Perhaps. Or maybe it has deemed you to be great, with your current circumstances being too minute. When it comes to excelling, an ungodly amount of effort is required, even for the talented."
Following his comment, Zaragosa waved his hand, creating and stabilizing a portal that linked to Kieran's desired destination. As he contemplated over Zaragosa's words, Kieran nodded and internalized Zaragosa's thoughtful words.
'A word of the wise,' Kieran inwardly thought, stepping through the portal a second later.
…
Inside the center of Aeredale City…
A portal opened up not too far away from the Merchant Association, with Kieran stepping from within. Once he stepped foot on the ground, the portal closed behind him, vanishing as if it had never once existed before.
Such a phenomenon had become normal to Kieran as it was a sign of Zaragosa's expertise. Now that he was back on his most familiar stomping grounds, Kieran walked through the streets of Aeredale, garnering the stares of many.
Several players had learned or directly witnessed Kieran's cruel act against Soulless. Hence, most of the comments originated from a place of fear and caused players to retreat.
Of course, there were also miscreants present within the crowd that idolized Kieran for his actions. They projected themselves and lived vicariously through Kieran, feeling as if it were them standing up against the tyranny of the high-ranking guilds.
Since he had become accustomed to the gossip and the idolatry that came with becoming a well-renowned figure, especially a streamer, which was the poster child of envy and reverence, Kieran ignored the situation around him.
Instead, Kieran nonchalantly entered the front door of the Merchant Association. However, this action begged a question from many—what else could this guy possibly want or need? No… what kind of shock would he give them today?
These thoughts had become the standard within Aeredale and pretty much all throughout Zenith Online's official forum.
Upon entering the Merchant Association, Kieran walked past the general desk and straight to the one he had visited before, which was manned by Max Coventry, the son of one of the branch's Managers.
"Max," Kieran greeted, keeping his tone cordial.
"Ah, Lord Aatrox. It's a pleasure." Max politely received him, his expression brightening by a few degrees.
Kieran's last purchase had earned Max quite a few brownie points within the Association. If he continued on this trend, it'd only be a matter of time until he was due for a promotion!
"I'll keep it short today. I'd like to request an Honorary Membership with the Merchant Association," Kieran said.
As he made this request, Max gawked, opening and closing his mouth several times without uttering so much as a single sound. Within the city, less than ten people possessed this level of membership. That simply showed how rare it was.
Hence, it was understandable why Max reacted the way he did.
After regaining his wits, Max continued to sputter. "L-Lord Aatrox! I understand that you're a cherished asset of the Merchant Association, but that's not a lighthearted request."
"Oh? I'm aware of this matter. But to make it easy for you… here. After you read through it, I'm sure you'll understand why I requested to become an honorary member," Kieran replied.
Not even three seconds later… Max's shocked voice echoed through the association's lobby. "Oh my fucking god!"
After looking at Kieran several times, Max eventually made a decision. "Please hold. I'll have to bring my father. An Honorary Membership is something only a reputed Manager can permit."
