The contact between eyes lasted for only an instant, but there seemed to be a message within the man's gaze Alan struggled to decipher. Was it a warning? Alan figured the man sensed his unusual power and sent those piercing eyes out of curiosity. He clicked his tongue, determined to figure out the origins of this man. He rushed downstairs, attaching the sheath of his katana to his belt as he stepped. The first floor was empty. Alan pushed the door open, squinting as the powerful rays of sunlight beamed into his eyes. The crowd had calmed, and the back of the mysterious man could be seen further down the road. He walked up to a young man, maybe in his twenties, with trimmed brown hair and lazy features,

“Hey, excuse me,” Alan said, pointing to the road, “Who was that?” The man gave a puzzled look, but wiped it away as realization struck him,

“You must’ve arrived recently,” the man smiled, calloused hands reaching up as he scratched his chin, “That was Aken. He’s a B-Rank adventurer who slaughtered a nest full of Frenzy Bears last night.” Alan’s eyes widened in surprise and realization.

A B-Rank! Alan thought, And that’s why a Frenzy Bear was nearby, an injured one too.

“The powerful monsters around the area are starting to move closer to the town,” the man continued, “It’s a scary time to live here. Most of the newbie adventures are starting to avoid this place, and who knows if a monster horde’ll form. That’d wipe us all out.” the man sighed, awkward silence reigned over the two.

“Thank you very much, sir,” Alan bowed, interrupting the quiet, “I appreciate the information.” The man held up his hands, waving them in embarrassed thankfulness,

“No problem.” He let out a chuckle. Alan turned and walked away. He decided to let the crowd disperse before he walked, listening in on various conversations, hoping for some more information. None came. The conversations were full of useless gabber, and Alan grew bored. Most of the crowd moved within a few minutes, and Alan squeezed his way down the road. He walked looking around for a shop that sold clothes. He noticed a few glances his way. Dried blood and a horrid black liquid stained his body and hardened his clothes. Eventually, he saw a wooden sign hanging on hinges, depicting a needle with a string hanging from its end, weaving in and out of a purple shirt. The image was drawn on poorly, the paint peeling away from years of wear. Alan swiftly walked over and pushed open the door.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aken sighed. Why did the guild have to spread the information so fast? He thought, knowing the answer, but asking out of pure irritation. He decided to complete the request quickly to avoid this, but the guild was relentless with its propaganda and attempts at improving public opinion.

“I’ll just make this quick, then leave town,” He mumbled, eyeing the throngs of people lining the road. The cheers, the happiness, the waving, a desire to have such a being even look their way. Aken was all too familiar with this. He felt sadness gnawing at him but hid it behind his usual blank expression. He decided to occupy his thoughts with something else, recalling the strange energy he felt from that person. It wasn’t threatening, or overwhelming, just unusual, like the husk of a powerful entity not yet filled. Aken had never felt such a thing before, even while encountering the head of the adventurers guild, a godly being thousands of times stronger than himself.

Just in case, I sent a murderous aura, Aken thought, Maybe I’ll investigate that person more before I leave. Lost in his thoughts, he arrived at the adventurers guild faster than expected. Workers of the guild, about a dozen or so lined the streets, preventing civilians from crowding around the building. Aken nodded to each of them, showing his thankfulness for their service.

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The guild building stood tall, towering above most by a story or two. It had similar architecture to the rest of the town, built with high-quality wood, multiple windows lining its front, and a gable roof atop. A wooden sign hung on hinges, depicting the symbol of the adventures guild.

The double door entrance slid smoothly as Aken opened it, a wave of cool air rushing to his face. The scent of pine danced in his nostrils, as he saw an unusual hustle and bustle within the guild. Guild workers ran back and forth throughout, from the request wall covered in paper to the various reception stations lining the back wall. He could also see one or two workers darting up the stairs in the back right corner, and dozens of adventures sat at the eight tables lining the left side. Crackling torches lit areas not illuminated by sunlight that streamed from the windows. Aken walked over to a guild worker, wearing their iconic brown suits with the guild symbol embroidered into the back of their blazers.

“What’s going on,” he asked, in the same monotone voice he always used. The man snapped his head toward Aken, sweat flying off of his face,

“Aken!” the man shuddered, “The Guild Manager has been expecting you,” he flicked his head to the stairway, rushing away before Aken could speak. The man simply returned to his work, rushing between reception areas. Confusion overtook Aken, this feeling propelling his feet to the staircase. The stairs creaked as he walked, sharply turning to the left and up. He arrived at a wooden hallway with various doors lining either wall, presumably the offices of this building's higher-ranked staff. At the end of the hallway was a double door. Aken rushed over, the torches lining the wall flickered as he sped past,

“Guild manager,” Aken said as he pushed the doors open. They slid smoothly, and silently. The bald head of a short and stubby old man tilted up from a pile of papers stacked on a wooden desk. Sharp sunlight filtered through massive windows behind the man, reflecting off the various wooden shelves lining the walls, and a luxurious chandelier that hung a little too low. Beneath the chandelier was a table, and on either side of the table two cushioned couches sat facing each other,

“Oh,” the man chuckled, “Aken, I've been waiting for you.” The man stood smiling, his height barely changing as he stepped from his seat. He walked over, wearing the same brown suit as the workers below. The Guild Manager only reached Aken’s chest, his wrinkles covering a sharp scar etched across his cheek, strands of white beard barely visible past sunlight, “this past day has been quite busy you see.”

“I can see that,” Aken replied flatly, showing no curiosity that the Guild Manager clearly hoped to incite.

“You're new to this town, but you see…” his teeth visibly clenched, and a vein popped out of his forehead. He turned and walked to the windows, “someone decided to kill not only almost all the members of the Red Lion organization in this town but also the leader. He was a Bronze Grade 5, quite powerful for this area, and I would've liked to keep him around.” The Guild Manager clenched his fist, “the amount of money those people brought in from requests…you’ve heard of the Red Lion Organization, yes?” Aken sighed as he nodded,

“Yeah. They’re pretty powerful, aren’t they? Who’d mess with them around these parts?”

“THAT, is what I am trying to figure out and why I’m so fuckin busy,” He slammed his fist on his desk, cracking it with the force, “But that isn’t why I wanted to see you.” The Guild Manager turned, his eyes reddening with anger, “I know you’re the prodigy amongst prodigies. The one destined to be the most powerful S-Rank adventurer ever. The good-looking, young, swordsman who outclasses all with talent, right?”

“I hear that a lot.”

“But it doesn’t fucking matter who you are, what kind of genius might grace our adventures guild. There is still something to uphold. I gave you explicit orders to WAIT. To wait for a group of this town's guards to accompany you, so they can witness your overwhelming strength and spread the word. But you decided to go out on your own.”

“The town still knows. Don’t you see outside? It would've been dangerous for the guards anyway. My techniques don’t work well with a team.” Aken kept his bland expressions, no word inflections, or facial expressions showing his emotion.

“You know, I’ve heard that you like to act on your own. But I thought I would cut you some slack.” The man paused, and decided to change the subject, “I’m giving you another mission.” Aken sighed in response, with a completely neutral expression.

“And if you disobey me this time, there will be consequences.” The Guildmanger lifted his fist and turned back to the windows.

“Ask one of the workers for more details. I just need you to help me with our investigation.”

“Surely my powers would be better used to kill monsters,” Aken said,

“Think of this as me giving you some experience once you're an S-Rank. Once you reach that level you’ll do more diplomatic, investigation, or spy work than actual combat…Just do it for a week. If nothing turns up after that you’ll be done, and we’ll give up the investigation.”

“Ok.” Aken waited in silence, causing the Guild Manager to turn his head back,

“You can leave now.” Immediately, Aken turned and opened the doors. What madman would attack the Red Lion organization? He thought, memories of the strange energy flashing in his mind. No…that guy wasn’t even in the Bronze Realm, it couldn’t have been him. I’ll investigate more about that guy after the week is over.