The troupe left the building as soon as Isaiah rejoined them, only once they left the building did they relax enough to start talking with each other,

"A fight, we are going to fight this time." Hugo sighed as he wiped his head, "On Burkasmine, I wonder where that is."

"What's the Burkasmine camp?" Isaiah asked,

"From what I've heard it's a silver mining camp owned by the Duchess of Mango and operated by the Orkellion guild," Hannibal replied,

"So what should we expect from that mine then?" Hugo asked,

"Rhinos I've heard, there are silver-backed rhinos in the surrounding regions, other than that... I don't know." Hannibal turned to Senzuki and Iska, "Any rumors?"

"None, but we can try and listen to some," Senzuki replied

Iska looked at Isaiah, "Those silverback rhinos are pretty resistant to physical attacks so magic's the key in these fights. I remember when we had to fight one before, that was terrible."

"Ahaha, let's not talk about it." Fei chuckled,

"So what now?" Isaiah asked,

"What do you mean?" Iska replied,

"Like we are supposed to leave at dawn, so what do we do till then?"

"I guess we are free to roam around and stuff." Hannibal nodded along, "Yeah, so just remember to be back at the guild before nightfall so that we can start preparing for the trip."

"Okay." Iska quickly grabbed Hugo as they wandered off towards the market, meanwhile, Fei and Hannibal lost themselves completely in their worlds as the two looked at each other with intensity, leaving Isaiah and Senzuki around.

Isaiah sighed and braced himself, though he made little preparations he knew exactly what he must do.

"There they go..." Senzuki mused as she shook her head,

"So I guess... We go around now then?"

"Pardon me?" Senzuki tilted her head,

"You know... Let's go."

"Where?"

"Uhh... Well, like... The merchant gave me the address of places to visit..."

"I see..."

"And like... I thought we had a date?"

"Ahahaha, I was just joking... I wanted you to say that you know." Senzuki waved her body to the side as she took a few steps forward, then she reached her hand out, "Shall we?"

"Yes please." Isaiah then grabbed her hand as they both walked, his cheeks were redder than a tomato and he felt his temperature rising, he couldn't even say the pre-planned conversations that he had prepared. But he managed to steel himself to walk normally.

Senzuki meanwhile was also in a dilemma herself, but, unlike Isaiah, she was far better at keeping her composure, and seeing him in that state was funny and cute to her.

"So... Where are the stores?" Senzuki asked, breaking his spell

"Uh..." Isaiah looked around and grabbed the paper he had hidden in his pocket, before returning it back as it had been crumpled and wet from the sweat of his palms, "You know, I feel kinda hungry."

"Ooh, and here I thought I was alone, shall we eat first?"

"Sure. What are your cravings?"

"Aren't you supposed to decide?"

"Hmm, well I don't know anything about the local cuisine."

"Well me neither. Heinz is a new place for me so I am not sure what their specialties are."

"Oh..." Isaiah looked down, thinking that their date was already off to a bad start, "That's..." He began to look around but their location was mostly filled with houses and inns, not a single restaurant to be seen. Though he might want to invite her inside one of the inns for lunch he wasn't sure if any served decent meals in the first place.

"Hmm, I am curious myself, nee, let's go look around and see what's available instead?"

"Excellent idea, let's do that."

Having arrived at night before Isaiah had not seen the city properly but today the sight he saw was a far cry from the dark, droopy place he had thought Heinz was. Green hedges, green trees, green pastures, every single street tiled and cemented, an abundance of sprawling marble villas and ornately rich houses, alongside money lots and lots of money.

Located deep within the Principality of Nalta, a small city-state just outside of Dachia, Heinz is an agricultural juggernaut supplying grain, sugar, and grapes to its neighbors making it incredibly rich, not just that but being surrounded by centuries-old dormant volcanoes gave it rich soil for crops alongside good natural barriers which protected it from any invaders, this led to Heinz being the leading destination for many rich-old pensioners who wished to spend the last few years of their lives in peace and comfort as well as for young and talented adventurers and craftsman hoping to get a piece of their money.

Isaiah and Senzuki arrived at the plaza, at the center was a huge fountain with a tall marble statue picturing a half-naked woman and a completely naked man dancing seductively, water spraying out their arms and coins glittering in the basin below. Many had gathered around the fountain, eating their meals or talking, it was a surreal experience to see not one person with their phone out taking pictures or selfies.

He would have loved to take one with Senzuki, he turned to her to find her completely in awe at the fountain, indeed it was beautiful, its craftmanship was sublime, and the little etches and details at the statue were surely done by a master, reminding him of the photos he saw of modern-day Rome.

"Look Isaiah-san... Such a huge fountain, to think it is all made of marble. I wonder how difficult it would be to carve such details, the muscles, the flesh, even their hair." She hurriedly ran towards the edge of the fountain to peer into the basin, crystal clear waters with thousands of coins from all sorts of colors and sizes resting at the bottom. Senzuki turned to a couple to their right and asked, "Hmm mayhaps this fountain grants wishes?"

"Oh, definitely." The man answered, "I threw in a coin ten years ago and wished for a wife, now our relationship is as strong as ever."

"Oh Babi, I've always loved you even if you didn't throw the coin in."

Senzuki's eyes glowed as she turned to Isaiah who heard the conversation,

"Shall we throw one then?" She excitedly picked up a coin from her purse,

"Ah, like..." Isaiah shyly shook his head but Senzuki, who knew how he would react, quickly went on the offensive.

"Oh my... Ahahaha. Well just because you could wish for a wife doesn't mean you should wish for one. As for me, I shall wish for good health and more happiness..." She threw in a coin, clasped her hand, and whispered her wish in her native language. Isaiah tried intently to listen to what she wanted but alas, he could not understand one thing.

Isaiah sighed and followed suit, his wish similar to hers and though he had wanted to add Senzuki, his conscience prevented him from doing so. Considering that this was a world where magic existed it would not be strange for this fountain to have wish-granting abilities. Though Isaiah wanted Senzuki he did not want a relationship that was forced through paranormal means.

Isaiah opened his eyes and saw Senzuki looking at him,

"So what did you wish for?"

Isaiah smiled then turned around, "Same as yours, peace and prosperity."

"I wished for health and happiness though?" Senzuki then walked with Isaiah, their hands clasped, "And here I thought you would wish for love."

"Prosperity can mean lots of things," Isaiah replied.

They then walked around the plaza, drowned in their own little world as they sampled the products sold and enjoyed the sights of the jugglers, acrobats, and monster tamers creating shows featuring small animals. Here Isaiah saw snakes, birds, monkeys, and animals that looked familiar but had strange anomalies such as a lizard with a burning tail, a fieldmonkey, a snake with three heads and two tails, as well as a bird with a metal beak. Isaiah had thought that the metal beak was an artificial implant but Senzuki had told him of such birds with metallic body parts. They would have continued had their stomachs not reminded them of their original intentions.

They chose an open-air restaurant located close to the park. Isaiah recommended it based on the smell its kitchens were making as they passed through.

They were served a variety of dishes, squid-ink pasta and a noodle made from some animal's broth, the taste was strong but harmonious, and Senzuki particularly loved its saltiness. Then the main dish was a fowl dressed in a sweet-orangy sauce with lots of herbs that blended a sharp and soft taste beautifully. She recognized the dish as coming from Nyan and related how Fei would make these dishes during her birthday.

The bill was naturally large, large enough to wipe out half of what Isaiah managed to save but it was worth it. He was able to see her joy in the cuisine though his only regret was not seeing her ears and tail. Though Senzuki wanted to pay for half of the bill, Isaiah insisted. In the end, the two agreed that she would foot the bill for dessert to which they found a gelato parlor and were served two scoops of ice cream. The gelato proved to be more expensive than their dishes.

Senzuki and Isaiah later retreated to the park where an empty chair awaited them, there they both sat and enjoyed their gelato. Isaiah had never tried gelato before and had found its chewy and soft texture strange but refreshing. The strawberry flavor was rich and the wooden spoon's salty flavor enchanted his tastebuds, it was wonderful.

"Oh dear... It's been years since I last tried this." Senzuki mused as she blew on her gelato, it seemed that her tooth felt the chills of the cream. Watching her Isaiah saw a charm he last saw back when they first met, here she was basking in the wonderful afternoon glow, seemingly enhancing the brilliance of her face though she wore a heavy veil that Isaiah badly wanted to remove.

He did not know why, but somehow his hands moved by themselves. He reached out to her, and much to her surprise removed her veil. Her ears bounced back to life as they breathed in the fresh air, and her dark brown hair shined brilliantly amidst a blanket of green. It was beautiful, one that made his heart throb rapidly,

'To think I am dating this woman.' He smiled, and then suddenly he realized something.

"I..." Isaiah found himself in a predicament for having done something without her consent. "I..."

She blushed as she looked away in a hurry "Bold and surprising."

"I... I do not know what I have done." Isaiah was about to return her viel when Senzuki stopped him,

"It's fine... Look around."

Isaiah turned his head and found many cat-people roaming the streets, heck there were even other races such as elves, dwarves, and more obscure beast-people. The diversity was a large part of what makes Heinz a special place, it was a cultural hotpot of many regions creating a unique experience for many people to come try exotic dishes and art.

'And to think I never noticed that...' Isaiah nodded

"But I must say, I was surprised when you suddenly took off my veil." Her lips made an arch as she twirled her spoon "What made you do that?"

"Well... It's just... It's just that I thought it would be hot."

"Come now Isaiah-san, lying won't work on me, we Kitsunes can tell if one lies or not."

"Well, sort of... I just... Your beautiful Senzuki, and I thought you would look better if you showed your hair and ears more."

"Oh..." Senzuki's mischievous face disappeared as she looked down with her cheeks red, then she leaned on his shoulders, "Is that true Isaiah-san?"

"It is." Isaiah garnered every inch of confidence in his heart to say those words, he realized that he had a big chance to gain himself his first-ever girlfriend if he just displayed more manliness. "You are beautiful,"

There was silence and the breeze blew through,

"Oh... Ahahaha, why is it so hot here." Senzuki stood up and started fanning herself, "It's just. Oh!" A group of children bumped into Senzuki causing her to drop her unfinished snack,

"Oi." Isaiah turned to the kids but Senzuki stopped him

"It's fine... It was about finished anyway."

Isaiah nodded as he handed her his gelato. "Do you want mine?"

"Hmm? What is this?" Her mischievous smile returned, "Sharing spoons now are we?"

"It's not..." Isaiah removed the spoon,

"Then how must I eat it then?"

"Oh..."

"Ahaha." Senzuki patted his head, "Let us share instead?"

"Alright." Isaiah handed his dessert but Senzuki shook her head,

"Feed me."

Isaiah nodded as he scooped up a large portion, and then presented it to her. Senzuki combed her hair, then ate the gelato, as slow as she could while her eyes were locked onto his. This prevented Isaiah from looking away and his face flushed even more red. "You know, we ordered the same flavor yet yours has a more pleasant taste."

"Perhaps it's the spoon."

"Oh my... This cheeky little." Senzuki went to his side as they started walking down the boulevard. "Just because you confessed to me doesn't mean I accepted it, ne?"

"I didn't confess?"

"My, but you called me beautiful though? And you took me out on a date."

"That doesn't mean a confession, and-ah, perhaps you were thinking it was one... Ahahahaha. Senzuki-chan, you are too conceited."

"Eeh, you got me there... But really, was that not a confession? Because if it was, I... I don't know how to react to it."

"Eeh... Well, it..." Isaiah suddenly felt guilty and nervous about that question, but upon seeing her grin he realized he had fallen for one of her traps,

"Mhm mhm." She nodded twice before leaning her head on his shoulders, "This is the Isaiah I like, one who constantly falls for m~my pranks."

"..." Isaiah decided to remain silent as Senzuki finished the gelato and remembered something,

"Aah... Wasn't our objective to go buy new clothes for you?"

"Oh, right it was..."

"The merchant must have referred a store right?"

"Well... It sounds fancy and expensive so not right now."

"Oh, why not? I am sure you have the money to do so, the guild did pay us for the information and for saving Richter."

"Well, the food proved to be rather expensive."

"Oh dear, if you had told me in advance we could have gone for a less expensive meal."

"But I prefer treating you to a good one since it's our first date, and I would like to have a second one."

"Smart choice, I like that." Senzuki looked around them and then approached a middle-aged lady who was carrying a laundry basket, they both talked for a while before she returned to him,

Stolen novel; please report.

"What did you guys talk about?"

"I asked her if she knows of any second-hand store for clothes."

"You didn't have to do that."

"No, no... I promised to buy clothes with you so I shall keep my word. The meal was just an extra."

"Well..."

"Come now, as Heinz has many rich people the clothes should be of good quality."

The two then proceeded to the store the middle-aged woman suggested, inside there were many people around looking for their new wear. Thanks to Senzuki's eyes and great bargaining skills he was able to purchase seven new sets of clothing for less than half his remaining amount, considering that the original price he heard was basically more than his remaining cash he was amazed at how much Senzuki lowered the cost. She would later bring Isaiah around as she searched for her own clothes.

"So are you happy?" She asked,

"Thanks for these."

"Nothing much, it is essential for a woman to know how to bargain, what good is a mother who cannot lower the price now."

"Yeah, that's true. But still, thank you, you helped me out tremendously."

"Ahaha, if you are truly thankful you best buy me more gelato on our way back."

"Will do madam."

"And don't call me madam, I am not yet that old, may I remind you I am still 19 years of age."

"19? Well, I happened to be 19 as well."

"Ara, is that why our personality matches so well... Ahahaha."

"Is also that why we are such a good pair?"

"A good pair..." Senzuki waved her head around in glee as she walked a few steps ahead of Isaiah, "Isaiah-san, though I cannot answer your confession just now, I am excited to see where this is going."

"I did not confess though."

"Hee? You did not? Oh, but I was so happy when I thought you did."

"Well, it's sort of like..."

"Stop lying to me Isaiah-san, we kitsunes-"

"Can tell lies right?" Isaiah completed her sentence,

"That is correct, so now you must tell me did you confess your love to me or no?"

After much silence, Isaiah nodded, "It was a roundabout way to confess."

"Hmm?" She tilted her head, "What does that mean?"

"Its a roundab-"

"What does that mean?"

"I confessed to you."

"That?"

"I confessed to you that I... I lo-like you."

"Mhm..." Senzuki nodded, "I cannot answer you now, but I shall tell you later. I... Would first like to see how we do."

"It's fine... I wasn't expecting an answer right away, instead, I just wanted to let my feelings out early on, since it's easier that way. No pressure."

"Thank you, Isaiah-san..."

The two continued in silence as they arrived at the location they were told to rejoin the troupe.

...

Isaiah woke up and stretched himself, the sky was still dark but the inn was already bustling with activity. From below, merchants and adventurers affiliated with the Orkellion Guild were busy making preparations for the day while the staff were already cooking up meals. Hannibal was speaking with Iska about their stocks and inventory that the guild gave them, meanwhile, Fei had just finished bathing and rushed up the stairs not even noticing Isaiah.

Isaiah yawned and went down sitting beside Hannibal,

"Ah, morning."

"Morning."

"Morning to you too... What is the plan?" The waiter handed him some coffee which Isaiah absent-mindedly drank and found it strong, "Oh that hits the spot really well."

"Our stocks are great, food, water, clothes, and even medicine. And since the guild will lend us a carriage that's our logistics taken care of."

"That said we still need a few more things, and oh, since you'd be our main damage dealer, you will need a couple of mana potions-" The two started talking about the stuff they would need as Isaiah was lost in his own drowsiness.

"Mhm, mhm." He kept nodding along whenever the two seemed like they were addressing him and in the end, they finished their inventory taking and when everyone arrived, breakfast was served and eaten. Once breakfast of beans in a sweet soup with bread was over they all headed towards the meeting ground just outside the guild's offices.

There were six carriages, lined up in formation each with two horses attached, from behind men were loading goods and provisions. Isaiah saw that the fourth carriage from the right had their troupe's name, Silver Spoon, written. Inside the main hall where goods are stored had been transformed into a makeshift lounge as 23 adventurers mingled about, eight of whom are women. About 15 had the rank of silver and 8 held the rank of bronze, with the Silver Spoon added in, there were now 16 silver ranks and 13 bronze. Sufficed to say this was a gathering with massive firepower.

"Sorry, we are late." Hannibal removed his hat,

"Indeed you very much did." A thin guy that resembled Hannibal greeted them with his deceivingly long arms, they both gave each other a hug "Been awhile my brother."

"Been awhile Sommo, you grew taller huh."

"Sommo!" Fei bumped shoulders with Sommo, "Good to see you."

"Fei, how are you? Any child yet?"

"Ahahaha, doing fine. Any maidens yet?"

"Ohh-" The man reeled back, "Please, people at Horlan call me 'the Bull' you know."

"Looks like it has gotten worse huh?" Senzuki greeted the man,

"Truly, the healers at Atmos asked for a gold coin, the audacity! To think they cannot even give me a discount and instead overcharge me, I'm an adventurer mind you, I work and die for them. So I had no choice but to let my toes rot."

"Oh... What a shame."

"Indeed..." He then turned around and his face lit up as if he remembered something, "Right, these two are our new recruits, say hi."

"Ah, good day."

"Hello."

Two young men who seemed to be in their early teens respectfully greeted Hannibal and Hannibal returned the greeting,

"Hello, oh right, Isaiah, come here."

"So he's your new recruit eh" His eyes then glowed green, "A mage?"

"Indeed, but you just wait till you see what he is capable of."

"A strong mage eh? Doesn't matter..." He then flexed his muscles which were bigger than what Isaiah expected of a man of his build, "Strength is key, especially against heavily armored bastards like those rhinos it's all about how hard you can hit not how sharp your blades are." He then reached his hand out, "Greetings."

"Edges will lose out against pure strength no doubt." Isaiah shook his hands, the latter then tightened his grip but Isaiah managed to stay standing "But vibrations are part of my repertoire."

"Ohohoh, vibrations?"

"What happens when you hit something? It shakes. Now what if you can control the shaking itself? You won't even need to touch the opponent to beat them."

"Oho... An interesting theory." Sommo lowered his head and rubbed his chin, "You know that might work huh? Looks like I won't have to worry about Hannibal's troupes this time. Ahahaha!"

"Indeed."

"So this is where the leaders are gathered?" A tall dark-haired woman who appeared to be in her mid-30s approached the group, she arranged her silver plate and stretched her hand out, her other hand gripping her sword, "The name's Lea of the Taro Troupe. Those seven over there are my members." She pointed with her finger towards a group of women watching them, surprisingly most of them were young and in their twenties, and only two looked older.

"An all-women's troupe eh?" Sommo grinned, "Sommo of the Sommelier Troupe, we are all men here, all fifteen of us. Say, are you single?"

"I am and I intend to stay that way." The two shook hands like old pals,

"Ohhh." Sommo flinched but still gave a toothy smile, "Ahahha, now I like that spunk, ahahaha!"

"Hannibal of the Silver Spoon, there are six of us."

"Huh... You two look the same, are you brothers?" Lea asked,

"Ahaha, many say that but no, we barely even come from the same country," Hannibal replied

"But I consider Hannibal my younger brother, we look alike after all," Sommo added with a toothy smile

"Mhm, that said..." She tilted her head, "I heard there are about 30-something of us, yet here we only have 23ish-25?"

"29." Sommo corrected,

"29 adventurers."

"30? That seems excessive." Hannibal looked around and scanned the ranks of adventurers, "Now that I see it there are plenty of silver rankers too, more than bronze even. This whole operation seems overkill."

"Well, the merchants are desperate to end the whole issue, especially with how the duchess is involved one way or the other. Mango is an important market and so losing it would be a huge blow to trade."

"This is why I hate being a merchant, so many things you have to deal with... But I wonder what it's like to own a mine, like how rich can you be."

Sommo rubbed his chin as he tried to imagine what Lea had just said when his eyes spotted a man approaching, "Now will you look at Prince Charming over there."

All their heads turned to where Sommo was looking and their brows rose in surprise, a handsome silver-haired man in his mid-twenties came strutting in with confidence, he carried no jewelry or gold with only a pair of silver earrings, his clothes were simple yet one could easily tell just how expensive the fabric is. He carried a double-tipped spear with elaborate designs located behind his back but what caught everyone's attention was that he was surrounded by beautiful women, five of them to be exact, all young and unblemished each carrying a different personality and charm. There was jealousy seething amongst the adventurers and merchants, Isaiah included. He was basically the man he was aspiring to become.

Seeing the attention all on him the adventurer unbuttoned the top part of his shirt showing the greenish-silver hue of his platinum badge.

"Platinum." Sommo murmured, "So that's him."

"Jairson and his Noted Troupe right."

"Aye... A gold-ranked troupe."

Adventurers are ranked in two different categories, an individual ranking and a troupe ranking. In the individual ranking, an adventurer is assessed based on their abilities from raw strength to actual combat prowess, and depending on the results they are given either a bronze, silver, platinum, or gold rank. However, troupe rankings are based on the overall abilities and achievements of the troupe and thus have a much broader range of ranks due to the difference in abilities between troupes, from top to bottom they are bronze, silver, iron, platinum, gold, mithril, then diamond.

"So these guys are my allies?" His eyes then landed on the bronze rankers amongst the other troupes, "Bronze. Try not to be a drag honestly."

"Ahahaha, herr Jair. This person may have low ranks but the Orkellion Guild knows how to pick its men." Richter coughed to gather everyone's attention, "Now then... As we have stated, your mission will be to investigate what happened at our mining camp near the Burkasmine mountains and kill the rhino population that has infested the mines, then secure the site for future mining operations. The pay will be as we agreed, 10,000 marks every week and 50,000 marks if completed within two months, five thousand thereafter, and for every rhino killed that will be an additional 2,000 marks but only those killed in pristine condition."

"Are we only dealing with silver-back rhinos then?" Jair asked,

"Not sure herr Jair, we believe other monsters exist, we will naturally provide proper compensation of course. But we reserve the exclusive rights to be the sole buyer of those bodies as usual."

"I see."

"Are there no more questions?"

"Then what about the supplies, are they free?" Isaiah asked, prompting many to turn to him as if he had asked something which was obvious,

"Y-yes herr Isaiah they are. As commissioned adventurers-"

"So..." Jair interrupted Richter after hearing Isaiah's question. "Why do we have bronze rankers here? Especially one who is new to being commissioned. Can't you see them being loaded into the carriages? Did they ask you to pay them?"

Isaiah, who was initially embarrassed, raised his brow. Senzuki quickly got behind him to try and stop him just in case, while Hannibal came to his defense.

"Please forgive Isaiah here-"

"Now that I see it, your troupe has the most bronze rankers. What is this?" Jair once more cut him out, "You're the only silver-ranked man in your group all the others are bronze?" Jair then turned to Richter, "Are the Orkellion guild's standards this low?"

"Oi..." Sommo cracked his neck as he went in front of Jair, "You messing with my little brother?"

Jair's brow rose up, "What this guy..."

"Their troupe might not be that shiny but I can attest that they are strong in their own right. I bet this man here is better than you are!"

"Ah, Sommo-" Hannibal tried to diffuse the situation,

"What... Are you one of them then, not surprising considering how weak you are."

"Ahm, please, let us not fight here... Uh." Richter desperately tried to diffuse the situation as both men began to size each other up, "You might destroy the building that would be horrible." Richter turned to Isaiah and gave a nervous smile, though he disliked their attitude he couldn't do anything about it but since he was suddenly placed in charge of the reclamation of the mines, therefore it's his neck the brass would want should things go south, he had to pacify the tensions.

Thankfully it seemed that his pleadings worked as both sides backed off before anything could happen, he sighed and then smiled,

"Anything else?"

"So who will be the leader?" Lea asked, "I for one don't mind giving it to one of the boys, there seem to be too many egos to control."

Richter gulped down as he looked at the group, he knew how much adventurers fight for the title of leader especially when multiple troupes are involved in the same mission. Though he hoped that there would be no fight and that the adventurers would choose in a civil manner,

"So who's it gonna be sir?"

All eyes were on him. Cold sweat poured through his forehead,

'Ah, but of course they will ask me.' Of all the scenarios this was the worst, now he was forced to play politics. "Well..." He looked around, he knew the names and details of this bunch and so already had a choice for the role of leadership, however wanting to play the neutral role meant that he had to pick again. 'Lea doesn't want to take it and neither can Hannibal, as I thought its either Sommo or Jair, Jair might be stronger and it is standard practice to lead the strong lead, however he is a foreigner here so I am not sure of his capabilities, plus having master's brother's hired troupe take control and reap the credit won't help his position either... Sommo has had a long history with us, a good leader too...'

He felt forced, and so made his choice. The same choice he made originally.

"Sommo, I believe."

"I see... Glad to be working with sensible people again."

"Hold on... Why him?" Jair spoke up, "Why not me? As the strongest, I believe I'm fit to lead this bunch."

"Your rank means nothing. Seniority is everything, and as the leader of the largest troupe I am used to dealing with a lot of people." Sommo grinned, he liked one-upping this man who was rude to him then, "Trust me, I'll take good care of you bunch."

"This pervert." One of his women seethed as Jair tilted his head in a snapping manner,

"I won't touch you girls even with my ten-foot trunk..." Sommo grinned as Hannibal snorted, "What brother, it's true though... Not the girls but you've seen my junior!"

"The alpha. Doesn't. Take. Orders. He leads." This bold declaration was supported by cheers from his harem, Jair fixed his posture to size up Sommo. He then turned to Richter, "Then I will take charge. You have no problem with that?"

"..."

"I take silence as a yes, so there you have it."

"Say... You say that you are the leader because you are strong right?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then why don't we settle this the old-fashioned way."

"Haaaa..." Jair sounded annoyed, but his smile painted a different picture, "Sure why not? That should stop any complaints."

"Hohoho, your rank might be higher than mine but that doesn't mean you're stronger than me..." Sommo's body began to exhume smoke as his smile got wider and wider, then out of nowhere his muscles began to grow larger, like balloons they continued to get bigger and bigger until he was a nine-foot giant. He even had to crouch because of how short the ceiling was. Isaiah stared in awe, he knew that some sort of gigantification existed but seeing one in person was still shocking.

He had to duck because the warehouse was too short for him.

"Aaah... No, no, no, no!" Richter cried but there was little he could do, "Someone stop them." He weakly prayed but it was of no use, neither he nor the other adventurers could stop them. He turned to Isaiah but found him too enthralled to even move. "Shit!"

"You will not do anything?" Isaiah whispered to Hannibal who shook his head,

"Sommo's way too powerful, he might be weird but there is no denying his strength."

Jair snickered as he removed his clothes prompting the women in his group to cheer for him, even some of the Taro's blinked twice, his body was chiseled to perfection, the muscles and abs that his clothes once hid were now revealed, and was so beautiful that it would make Heracles blush. Isaiah couldn't believe what he was seeing as he was seething in envy, he wanted that perfect life. His body suddenly glowed a blue color as his whole body twitched like he was made of liquid,

"I like this guy, so plain and so simple..."

His muscles started to balloon, bigger and bigger his size went until he was now taller and larger than Sommo, the wooden ceilings creaked as he continued to get larger and larger. One may already see the clear victor of the battle but Sommo had an ace up his sleeve,

"This man thinks I'm this weak huh?" In an instant his body turned grey and even sparkled, "[Iron Block]" He murmured.

Both men were ready to fight and not one of the twenty-eight other adventurers nor the dozen others around wished or could stop them. Isaiah included, as he was excited to see just how this fight would go on, this guy was not a gold-ranked adventurer, but as someone who was one level away from the highest rank he wanted to see just what the level of strength was at that stage.

Jair took out his spear before throwing it away as if to say that he didn't need his weapon.

'But a spear huh? Most of the big guys would carry an axe or a sword, maybe a hammer but a spear doesn't look that...' Isaiah squinted his eyes as he recognized the spear, 'Isn't that...' As if to confirm his suspicions, the heavy wound on his leg began to ache, it told him that that spear was the one who penetrated his flesh, 'No way... Like...' Isaiah's eyes wandered over to the girls and found to his shock that amongst them one was carrying a pair of gauntlets,

'Could it be... Jair himself?' Back when he was trying to escape Sardis a troupe of adventurers had chased him down, 'Is it them?'

Isaiah thought about it but shook his head, 'They had a huge guy with them, and Jair is huge, and the girls aren't huge too, no, like, it can't be him... Right.'

But there was this feeling deep down that made Isaiah nervous. He decided to hide behind Hannibal so as not to jinx himself just in case. However, try as he might, fate had other plans for him.

"Isaiah-san..." Senzuki suddenly grabbed his hand, prompting him to turn around, "Can... Can you stop them?"

"Wh-why?"

Hannibal turned around, "Aah. I don't think we should be doing that..."

"It would be horrible if the whole place gets destroyed. Plus I think he would be even more grateful if we stopped his shop from exploding, who knows we might get a better deal out of this?" Senzuki looked at the merchant who was panicking, meanwhile, Isaiah was in a difficult situation.

On one hand, he could avoid detection from these two suspiciously familiar people who might know his background but at the cost of disappointing Senzuki. On the other hand, he could agree to her request, thereby earning him some brownie points but risking familiarity. But when she tugged on his hands, he quickly made up his decision. Between disappointing Senzuki or risking the small chance that both of them were the same people from Sardis, he knew which one was of higher priority.

'The chance of them knowing me is very slim, just because they look like them doesn't mean they are them, plus where is that really big guy that was with them in the first place... However, Senzuki is here, and if I agree and help them out, possibly gaining future rewards from the merchant, that should make her very happy right?' Isaiah stole a glance at her and saw her worried looks, 'Plus she asked cutely, why wouldn't I do that? It's also a great way to show my powers off.'

"Yeah, sure." Isaiah smiled as he watched both Sommo and Jair bunch up their fist and raise their arms, their movements were slow, at first, but suddenly picked up speed, ripping through the wooden ceiling above, but before they could touch Isaiah reached his hand out before pointing to the ground.

The effects were swift and decisive, not only did their magic-laden fist stop but they also fell to their knees. Sommo gave up completely unable to resist the pressure as his body deflated back to normal before folding in half like a sandwich with his butt high up in the air. Jair fared somewhat better, however just like Sommo he could not move an inch, he struck his fist to the ground in a last-ditch effort but his body gave up soon after, his muscles slowly deflating as smoke spewed out from his body.

He instantly knew who caused this and he turned his rage-filled eyes to Isaiah, however, he wasn't intimidated. Isaiah kept the pressure going,

"This... This bronze ranker dares..."

"Shut up." Isaiah pointed his finger up which shut his mouth completely, 'Gravity is fun.' He told himself, 'But I shouldn't play with it that much, I might accidentally create a black hole and end the whole universe.'.

Sommo looked up and saw Isaiah's mana surrounding him,

"Let me go now, I won't fight."

"You guys." Isaiah let Sommo go as he felt no hostility from him but still kept the pressure on Jair, "You were about to destroy the whole store, if the merchants all die who would pay us?"

"Unhand master Jair now!" The short-haired woman who carried a pair of gauntlets screamed at Isaiah, "You fiend!"

"Woo." Isaiah flinched back, "He started it, if you guys did not try to fight this wouldn't have happen-!"

Out of nowhere, another of the girls lunged at him with lightning speed, her knife barely grazing his cheek. It would have caused fatal damage had Senzuki and Iska stepped in just in time to block her attack. Isaiah gulped.

'She is fast, must disable...'

Senzuki increased her grip forcing the woman to throw the dagger and jump back, "This bronze rank..."

"Ohhh..." Senzuki forced herself to chuckle, although they were able to overpower her, her palm still burned from the pain of her rock-like wrist. The difference in strength was clear as day. "You best not lay a hand on Isaiah-sa... Isaiah here."

But their fight was not over, she quickly took out another knife and Senzuki jumped forward to intercept. With a knife, Senzuki parried a strike but failed in the next. Senzuki retreated with a small cut on her forearm, however, worry filled her eyes as she saw all five of her companions ready for battle, worse still she could feel the Sommelier troupe and Silver Spoon troupe prepare to fight too. "Oh dear..." She didn't even laugh, she was genuinely concerned.

"Oh for goodness sake." Isaiah turned his attention to everyone, "Sit down!"

At once everyone fell to their butts, from the merchants and adventurers, even Senzuki, though Isaiah would belatedly regret that part.

"Ah, are you alright?"

"Its... It's fine." She slowly stood up, shocked by the sudden drop. "That... That's some impressive magic."

"Lets-lets stop fighting okay... Nothing good will come out of this, we get killed, you guys get killed, and no one gets paid... We are here to defeat the rhinos not each other, so let's all get along now huh!?"

"Aah..." Richter quickly went to Isaiah, "I appreciate this, crowd control... Thank you."

"No problem, it's hard seeing people misbehave."

"In-indeed."

Witnessing his power, even Jair ceased his hostilities as he was finally released from Isaiah's force and returned with his girls all trying to make sure he wasn't hurt. "This stupid bastard..." He seethed, however, there was little he could do, that mage was far stronger than he was.

"Where was I, right... Aah, as we have stated, Sommo..." Richter turned to Isaiah, now wary of him but upon seeing him relent to his decision he continued, "Sommo will be the leader... Any problems?" Seeing that no one raised their hands he sighed in relief, "Good... I guess, the goods are all loaded, so, shall we?"