Chapter 71: Crimson Hound
Chapter 71: Crimson Hound
"We should get going," Ron said to Adam. "I can take you where Crimson Hounds are. This city is quite a maze; you might get lost."
"Mm, sure." Adam nodded.
At that moment, they heard a voice.
"Hey, hey, wait a moment!" The Archwarrior came rushing down the stairs and bore a giant smile on his face. "Sorry for my previous behavior, but I didn't expect you to be the one."
Ron narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you want?"
"Calm down, Grandeur." The Archwarrior said with an arrogant chuckle and patted Ron's shoulder. "I just want to talk to this little guy. I have an offer for him."
Ron narrowed his eyes, but stepped back and crossed his arms while having a clear idea of what the Archwarrior was planning to do.
The Archwarrior took a small card from his pocket and handed it over to Adam.
Adam checked out the mercenary card and raised his eyebrow.
***
[Name: Chris Raven]
[Level: Hidden]
[Affiliation: Dungeon Slayers]
[Recruit: B]
[Rank: Archwarrior]
***
'Dungeon Slayers.' Adam recognized that name.
"I am part of Dungeon Slayers; it's a tier 2 guild." Chris said proudly. "As far as I am aware, our guild master sent an invitation to you. I am not sure whether you accepted or not, but we can talk about some details if you're interested."
Some of the new recruits looked envious. They would be lucky enough to join the Tier 4 guild, let alone Tier 2. Now, this arrogant man was personally inviting Adam to join such a powerful guild!
"I am interested." Adam said and asked, "I might already know, but what does your guild mainly do?"
Chris grinned and said, "We're mostly in the dungeons, just like you expected, slaying Chaosbeings. We're a very action-heavy guild, and we spend more time in dungeons than anywhere else."
"They're adrenaline junkies." Ron said coldly. "That's why Dungeon Slayers are recruiting quite often because so many of their members die!"
"I don't like your tongue, Grandeur." Chris replied with a sharp glare. "The weak die. That's how it's always been, everywhere in the New World. Only the strong survive in the Dungeon.
"If you survive there, you can survive anywhere!"
Adam handed his mercenary card back and thought about Chris' words. It was quite a risky lifestyle, but it was one of the fastest ways to grow stronger.
'If I focused on killing Chaosbeings and just spent all my time in dungeons, I am sure I could reach Grandeur in a year. It's extremely risky.
'Also, I don't want to focus all my time on increasing my level. There're other methods of strength as well, such as learning Kiryoku, Kraft, and Magick, then some skills.'
"While our home is somewhat Dawnwatch, as it is where our "headquarters" are, we are actually living on the twenty-first floor of the dungeon." Chris said.
'Twenty-first floor's Respawn Crystal has also been destroyed.' Adam thought. 'That floor is now fully in the control of humanity, and it has been built into the only human settlement beyond the fifth floor.'
"So, what do you say?" Chris asked with a confident smirk. "Since you're an S-ranker and all, you'll get some special benefits and protection. With us, you'll become strong real quick!" "Sounds interesting and all, but I have to decline." Adam said with a calm look. "I am not that much in a hurry to become strong."
Chris frowned and said, "You're missing out on a great opportunity. Don't be a fool."
Ron smiled at Adam's answer and said, "Actually, we're in somewhat of a hurry. Digby Chaucer is waiting for us."
Adam chuckled silently.
"Digby is?" Chris' eyes widened.
Digby Chaucer was one of the strongest people in Dawnwatch. This city didn't have any Tier 1 or Tier o guilds, as all of those were located in Imperium City.
Therefore, Prime Mercenary had the highest rank in Dawnwatch, with Digby being at the peak of Prime Mercenary, a small leap away from reaching Royal Prince.
"So, you're joining them..." Chris scoffed, clearly annoyed by the rejection, and then stormed off the Mercenary Guild.
"Digby isn't actually waiting for us, is he?" Adam said with a chuckle.
"He wouldn't have allowed you to reject otherwise." Ron said with a smirk. "He is able to act however he wants in front of us, as he is stronger, but compared to Digby, he is nothing. "There's always a bigger fish somewhere."
--
The banner of the crimson-furred dog flapped in the wind, a symbol of strength and dominance.
The sky had turned gray, as if it were about to rain, and the air was getting colder. Some dark clouds moved over Dawnwatch Mountain, casting ominous shadows over the land.
"This is the place." Ron, with Adam by his side, walked down a one-way street and arrived at the front gates of a large villa.
Adam pulled out the invitation letter from his inventory and looked at it intensely. He was thinking about whether this was the correct decision.
'I am always nervous when making a life-changing decision.' Adam sighed. 'However, I think this is the correct decision. Another reason why I declined Dungeon Slayer's invitation was because they would get destroyed in the following year in a guild war.
'Crimson Hounds, on the other hand, were never in any major fight. There was the thing with the Ameryn Brothers, but they still survived through that.
'I hope the fate of this guild doesn't change because of me...'
"This is our farewell for now." Ron offered a handshake and after they shook hands, he looked
at the gate and said, "I think you're making a correct decision. Digby is powerful and
influential.
"Mm." Adam nodded.
After Ron patted his shoulders, he slipped his hands inside his pockets and started walking
away.
And just like this, Ron's job as tutorial caretaker had come to an end. It was supposed to be a one-month long job, and it was supposed to be a rather well-paid job that was going to be boring, but in the end, it turned out to be a very historic one.
Adam approached the front gates and knocked on them twice.
He then waited, and after a short while, the gates were opened slowly by two well-armored guards. They had silver armor with a crimson cape billowing behind them.
It was billowing quite grandly as the wind started picking up. It was clear that it was about to start raining soon.
"Who're you, and what do you want?" The guards asked, their voices gruff and authoritative.
"I got invited to the guild." Adam handed over the letter.
The guards exchanged gazes. They weren't aware that their guild master was recruiting. They then checked the letter's envelope, and it had Digby's signature and official guild seal. "We hadn't received any news that our guild master was recruiting." The guard said. "If you don't mind, my friend here will come talk to Sir Digby personally while you wait here."
"I am fine with that." Adam said and gazed at the darkening sky. 'I hope they do it soon. It is
about to rain...'
The other guard entered the villa and went to fetch the guild master.
"What's your name, if I may ask?" The guard asked with a rough voice.
"It's Adam Palestar." Adam nodded respectfully. "Nice to meet you, sir." "Adam... Adam... Palestar..." The guard's eyes slowly widened, and his sword clattered to the
ground in shock.