As Elise and I walked down the street quietly, I felt stares coming from around us. Fidgeting a bit, I resisted looking around at those that were staring at me. My instincts had been attuned thanks to Crater Hell, being stared at like this would usually mean a monster or human was staring us down. Seeing my fidgeting, Elise let out a soft giggle.

“It’s fine, they’re just curious. You do match the description of the so-called hero of the slums after all. Don’t worry about it too much, with me here none of them would dare try and approach you.”

Smiling stiffly at this, I felt Alice getting restless as well. Picking her up off my head, I brought her to my chest to comfort her with pats. Relaxing a bit, I knew she’d been restless because of the staring as well. Rubbing her head on my head, I wanted to cuddle Alice more, she was too cute.

As we continue walking down the street, Elise gestures for me to follow her down an alleyway, a direction no one else was walking. “We’ll be heading to another area, the rest of the adventurers will be going to the gathering point. Don’t worry, you’ll be with me. The Branch Master wants to keep you a secret until we announce everything. I'm honestly not sure what he’s planning.”

I didn’t know who the Branch Master was, but Elise seemed to trust him. After a few more turns, we arrived in a small room, a couch with some drinks and food on the table. Behind the couch was a corridor leading off somewhere, while there was a window that looked out to a massive plaza, where hundreds of people had gathered. To the right is a podium where I could sense very powerful people standing.

“Here we are. We’ll wait here until we’re needed, you can view the ceremony from here. It’s nothing special, it’s just the Branch Master giving everyone a speech.” Sitting down, Elise pats the spot next to her. Sitting down, I reached for a drink.

Making small talk with Elise, mostly about my recovery and future plans, we were soon interrupted by a loud gong sounding out. Looking towards the podium, I saw a man walking onto it before stopping at the centre. Everyone standing in the plaza stood silent, looking up at the man. Glancing at the man, I felt myself tremble for a moment.

Standing there is a rather thin, lanky and plain man. If you put him in a crowd of others, you wouldn’t notice him. Around his neck is a Black plate, matching the colour of his hair and eye. He wore an eyepatch over one of his eyes, and wore loose clothing, a simple black shirt and shorts. However, that wasn’t what shocked me.

I could feel an absolute power emitting from him. I felt that in his eyes, everyone around here was nothing. It was like he was the pinnacle of strength, and he carried himself as such. His gaze wandered the crowd, no one faulting under his gaze, and for a moment that gaze landed on our room…on me.

That feeling of absolute strength before…it intensified when that gaze settled on me. Gulping nervously, it felt like minutes had passed before his gaze moved away. Panting for breath, Elise took the opportunity to pat me on the back.

“That’s the Branch Master, Alexander. The power you felt from him is very real. Sorry I didn’t warn you, but I wanted you to experience that without warning, because there may be times you’ll encounter it in the future. I don’t want you experiencing it for the first time and freezing up.”

Nodding nervously, I turned my attention to the man again. The power I had felt could no longer be felt, it seems he had released that pressure on purpose. Standing straight, he had his hands behind his back as he gazed over all the adventurers.

“Adventurers! We, the City of Vale and the Guild of Vale, have overcome one of the world's many disasters! Nearly a month has passed since a monster tide arrived in Vale. Thanks to the efforts of all of you and the Royal Guard, Vale came out of it nearly unscathed! Raise your heads proudly, those that fought valiantly, you have done the Guild proudly!”

Wild cheering came from the crowd after Alexander spoke. Raising his hand after a minute, the crowd went silent shortly after.

“Victory is without cost. We lost fellow adventurers. They gave their lives to protect this city, fellow adventurers or were unfortunately wiped out by a monster far stronger than them. Today, we will celebrate the life of every adventurer we lost. Join me in giving a moment of silence for the following adventurers.

“From Team Redline; Leonard, Felix, Tally, Jun and Kathren. From Team Chain; Perry, Brick and Ellen.”

Continuing to list off teams and names without reading a thing, the Branch Master continued for nearly ten minutes, pausing for a few seconds after reading out a team's name. After reading out over a hundred names, he went silent as did the crowd of adventurers. After a minute, he spoke once again.

“Do not forget them. Their names will never disappear from the Guild, their sacrifices will always be remembered. All of you bastards better celebrate their lives tonight!”

Hearing the cheering from the crowd, I felt confused a bit. I had thought they were mourning, not celebrating or cheering.

“It’s how adventurers are, Alisha. It’s how they process the loss of their friends that die in combat. They’ll celebrate till they’re dead drunk. They will mourn, but they will also celebrate that person’s achievements.” Most likely having seen my confusion, Elise spoke up to let me know what was happening.

Sort of understanding, I nod a bit as I look over the crowd of adventurers. They seemed happy and a bit down as well. Hearing the Branch Master speak again, I turned my gaze back to him.

“During the defence against the monster tide, every single person performed as we expected. Today, we will be acknowledging those that went far beyond everyone else, and performed exceptionally during the monster tide.

“Frederick, the Fire Riddle, please come up.”

A few moments of waiting, a man walked out from the side of the podium. I had initially expected him to come from the crowd. Looking at the corridor I was hit with realisation. Giggling, Elise explained between bites of a snack she had.

“You’ve guessed right. Everyone who will be acknowledged and rewarded today knows in advance that they will be. They are all in similar waiting rooms to us, all up there are ten, excluding you since you’re a special case. It’s done like this so there isn’t a long wait for them to squeeze through hundreds of adventurers to get to the podium.”

As she finished her sentence, the man stood facing Alexander on the stage. He bows as Alexander speaks to the crowd.

“During the battle, Fire Riddle alone entrapped an eighth of the monster tide with his Fire Illusion magics. Because of his efforts, he helped relieve the pressure of those around him, allowing them to redirect their efforts to defending the gates. He alone prevented those hundreds of monsters from acting for eight hours. Because of his efforts, he will be awarded with 2 Mithril Coins, equivalent to 200 Platinum Coins. In addition, he will be raised from his current rank of Platinum Grade D Rank to Platinum Grade B Rank.”

With the crowd cheering loudly, they chanted “Fire Riddle” over and over. Next to me, Elise nodded. “Frederick, he’s one of five Platinum adventurers in Vale. I’ve told you before, Alisha, but getting through Gold is not a task the average adventurer can accomplish. Think of Frederick as your target to reach within the next year.”

Blinking in confusion, I looked at Elise as she giggled. “It’s possible. Majority of adventurers get complacent, make good coin for food, a home and all the women or men they can get at brothels. The crossroads at Level 100 causes so many adventurers to give up…Aim higher than them Alisha, and you’ll make it to Platinum in no time.”

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Thinking over what she said, I realised a key point. To become a Platinum Grade, one had to be above level 100. Looking at my own level, I realised I had a long way to go before I could even dream of being Platinum Grade. Then I had to reach Ruby Grade then Black Grade. Feeling a bit dizzy, I started to realise the magnitude of reaching Black Grade. However, Elise said it was possible, which means someone has done it before. Taking a deep breath, I made it my goal to get to Platinum Grade in a year as the Fire Riddle left the podium the same way he came from.

Alexander continued as others came up. Most were either Platinum or Ruby Grade adventurers, with only one being a Gold Grade. The rewards were a mix as well, most received so many coins that it made my head spin, and some received promotions or were given items like weapons or armour. After the tenth person left the stage, Alexander gazed around the crowd.

“Now, before we celebrate the last person's achievements, I have something that needs to be said.” Suddenly, a dangerous feeling enveloped me, and looking at Alexander, his plain face suddenly was red, anger clearly showing.

“A group of Gold Grade adventurers dared to abandon an adventurer who was dying, all in favour of taking the loot of some fucking monster! If it wasn’t for the fact their healer wasn’t a heartless bastard, a hero would’ve died, all because they wanted to claim the corpse of a monster that did not belong to them!

“Those that thought they had found a score have been banished from the Guild and Vale! They were stripped of their precious loot. Let this be a reminder to you all! I don’t care if you kill each other in some dungeon, BUT IF YOU DARE ABANDON THOSE THAT FIGHT ALONGSIDE YOU YOU WILL NOT HAVE A PLACE IN MY GUILD!”

A silence fell over the plaza as I felt the feeling of danger fade. Standing there, Alexander gazed over the crowd before smiling once again.

“Thanks to the efforts of their healer, who did not succumb to greed, we are able to reward and celebrate the achievement of the next person. Now, I know a rumour has been spreading amongst all of you here about the hero of the slums, most of you likely heard it because Bloom couldn’t keep that mouth of his shut.”

Hearing a ring of laughter sound out, I felt a bit surprised at the joke that Alexander had off-handedly made, as well as how well known Bloom apparently was. I saw Elise shaking her head next to me as well.

“Well, without further ado, let me confirm those rumours. Alisha, the Aspiring Hero, please come up.”

Blinking at my name being called, I suddenly realised that I had to head out there in front of all of those people. Suddenly feeling very nervous, I looked towards Elise who had a teasing smile on her face.

“Off you go, ‘hero’, don’t embarrass me.” Giggling at her own comment, she gestures to the corridor. Swallowing nervously, I keep Alice in my hands as I walk towards the corridor and head down it. As I made a turn, the exit appeared directly in front of me. With a knot in my stomach, I made my way to it.

Exiting the corridor, I found myself on the podium, and upon stepping out, I felt hundreds of eyes stare at me. Doing my best to ignore the stares of everyone, I kept stepping towards Alexander, who was looking towards me with a stern gaze. Mimicking the others, I stood a few steps away from him, doing my best to hide my nervousness. Alexander turns back to the crowd and starts speaking.

“During the battle, an Elite Disaster-Class Bear, a monster at level 100, was forcibly teleported to the slums. The bear was severely injured. This did not prevent it from killing all that were nearby with ease. A Silver Grade team led by Bloom engaged with the bear as soon as it appeared, however they were unable to do anything but ruffle the bear's hair.

“During the battle, a member of the Bloom’s team suffered heavy injuries and was sent flying from fight, into an orphanage in which a Bronze Grade team resided in. Alisha here was a part of this team, a level 27 Bronze Grade A Rank, and after several minutes of distracting the bear along with the Silver Grade team, she created a magic so powerful that it ripped her body apart, however she was successful in killing the bear.

“Because of her willingness to sacrifice herself, the spell was successful, killing the threat and saving the lives of everyone at the orphanage, the lives of Bloom’s team and the lives of others who resided in the slums nearby. The Gold Grade team that had been summoned did not arrive for several minutes after the battle had ended, if it was not for Alisha, the death count would’ve been in the hundreds.”

I heard a buzzing sound from the crowd, people muttering to each other, talking in excited whispers and craning their necks to look at me. Alice, still in my hands, was doing her best to hide. I couldn’t help but feel extremely nervous, light headed and a bit queasy from being stared at so intensely from so many people.

“Now compared to everyone else up here, Alisha’s achievement may not be impressive. The fact remains however that she has accomplished something that has not occurred in Vale before, and in doing so saved countless lives. The Guild has acknowledged that without her spell, the bear would have massacred Bloom’s team and rampaged in the street, and the Guild also acknowledges that Alisha defeated an enemy 73 levels higher than herself.

“Because of her efforts, willingness to sacrifice herself to save others and the fact she killed such a monster, the Guild awards her with 5 Platinum Coins. In addition to this, using the bones and tendons from the bear, a master craftsman has made a unique weapon that the Guild paid for in full.”

Turning his head and nodding behind him, an attendant from the Guild moved towards us with a small box in their hands. Handing the box to Alexander, he takes it and opens the box. I couldn’t make out the contents from where I stood, but hearing the crowd get excited I knew it must’ve been impressive.

“Ursine Gloves of the Berserker. A pair of gloves that increases the wearer’s strength the longer they fight.” Closing the box, he goes to pass it to me, but perhaps seeing Alice in my hands, he doesn’t and hands the box back to the attendant.

“Last of all, I declare that Alisha here will be my disciple!” Following those words, the crowd froze, like someone had cast a spell to silence them all. I had even forgotten my nervousness in that moment, or rather after a few seconds passed as I realised what he had said. When…when did I become his disciple!

After a few seconds passed in silence, the crowd exploded in a wild cheer, overwhelming my ears and making me feel dizzy. Alexander gives me a nod as he gestures to an attendant, who comes over to lead me back to the corridor. Following along while trying not to trip over my own legs, I continued walking down the path I had come from, before arriving back in the room with Elise.

Sitting next to her, she giggled. “Good work. You did well, I believe you’ll be idolised since you were quite cute out there.”

Shivering slightly at her comment, I tried to sink myself further into the couch. Giggling again, Elise starts patting my head. “Well it’s over. I didn’t expect that the Branch Master would declare you as a disciple.” Hearing the sounds of the crowd still cheering out in the plaza while Alexander walked off stage, I shook my head slightly.

“Oh? What’s wrong?” Biting my lip, I told her that I already had a teacher, and that I didn’t know who Alexander was or why he’d take me as a disciple so easily. After telling her everything, Elise once again pats my head.

“You can have more than one master you know. In fact, it’s quite common for people to find new masters once they have learnt or surpassed their current masters, and those masters are more than happy with that. They want to see their students surpass them and learn more. For some, seeing their student become a disciple of someone much stronger than them is an honour. I don’t know of this Teacher Lee, however I’d imagine he would be happy to see you learning from a new master since you can not learn from him now.”

I knew she was right in that aspect. In fact, Teacher Lee was the kind to laugh and drink to celebrate things like this. Still..

“If that hesitation is about not knowing the Branch Master, then don’t worry too much. You’ll come to learn about him. I’m sure he’ll be sending someone here in a moment to bring you to meet him. You can decline his offer too. He announced it had been decided already for a reason, which I think I know. When you meet with him shortly, he’ll formally offer for you to become his disciple.”

Leaning back and thinking it over, I noticed I felt mentally exhausted already. Standing in front of such a large crowd of people like that was more tiring than I had thought. Thinking over Elise’s words slowly, perhaps it would be a good thing for me to take up Alexander’s offer.

“After this, we’ll have our chat and then we can go looking for a house for you. You have just gotten 5 Platinum coins, meaning we can get you a very well secured and beautiful home.” Saying this with a bit of a giggle, Elise grabs some food.

As I'm about to ask Elise about Alexander, I heard someone enter the room.

Glancing up, I saw a male attendant standing at the corridor and with a slight bow, they nod to Elise.

“Well, it seems like he is more eager to meet you than I had thought. Off you go, I’ll meet up with you later.”

As I stood, I heard the attendant speak up. “Elise, the Branch Master has requested for you to come as well. He believes it will be best if young Alisha here has someone she knows and trusts by her side.”

Standing as well, Elise smiles and says “Well, if that’s the case then I can not refuse. Shall we?” Turning her head to me, I nod as we follow the attendant in silence. After walking through various corridors, we finally arrived in front of a room. I felt the pressure I had earlier coming from this room, and as the attendant opened the door, I prepared myself to meet Alexander in person.