Chapter 225 - 225)Both Ends Of The Bargain

Staying there meant that he would be asked more questions, and honestly, for him, that was rather tiresome. His talents were expressed in the most random of paths, he had an element of mystery in him, which was what made the Grand elders of the Assassins Den so curious about his conquest.

"Ahem…..you've managed to keep your end of the bet, and it is only fair if I do so," Taka recalled, back then it was rather astonishing to see Night make such a deal, but now, anything he says seems plausible.

Every NPC in Genesis served a purpose, be it a farmer or a ruler. They all had a sense of aim in their core, it wasn't particularly almighty, but it was still there. Most of these goals were directed towards self-perfection, that is, NPCs were flawed, and their reason for getting up every day, eating, bathing, training, everything they do, was for the sole purpose of attaining their highest potential, in other words, self-actualization.

In their programmed mind, they viewed Night as a path to attain that state. It wasn't definite, but they all considered it. The possibility that Night, an ascender could help them overcome an obstacle. It wasn't as direct as helping them train, it could be something like removing an evil faction, or clearing a trial that was said to be sacred. Missions or tasks such as these, help the NPCs related to grow.

"I remember, but I do not need anything at the moment," the truth was that Night wanted to ask Taka for a weapon that an assassin used, he was simply far too excited and curious to try and test the abilities of another class, but at the same time, he had a vision, a bigger plan, and Taka was an important part of that plan.

"I see," Taka smiled underneath his cloth cover. He was pleased to see that Night didn't ask something as superficial as a weapon used by him or an assassin's weapon. It was a misunderstanding of course, but it somehow worked out for him in the end.

[Affinity with Grand Elder of the Assassins Den, Taka, +20]

[To keep his side of the bargain, Grand Elder Taka shall receive a mental note when you wish to use your wish or request]

The room remained calm, it was a conversation between Night and Taka, and it seemed as if these two had already met previously, meaning the best option to maintain a good relationship with the only individual to clear the Trials was to leave it to Grand Elder Taka.

Night smiled and looked at his followers, Shade, and Noctis, this wasn't the time to take a break or stop to celebrate, the success of the trials only motivated him to push his body and soul even further. Noticing the change in atmosphere, some of the Elders leaned forward and spoke.

"Master Night, if you ever need anything, please just call us, even if it's to simply train or beat up someone,"

"Yes yes of course, please do visit some other time, it would be an honor you to do so,"

"Master?" Night cocked his head and looked towards Taka and Sketch for some kind of clarification. Realizing that Night had no prior information regarding the Trials or anything, Taka coughed, "Haah, yes. The Trials were also a way to decide the head of the Assassins Den….but so far…there has only been one person to ever clear it…other than you of course…"

"Voss Howler?" Night answered and wondered if he was the head of the Den at the moment. It was weird how there wasn't exactly a sense of equality in the game. There wasn't any Trial for Grandmasters. His quest only required him to learn to use magic but nothing more, the difficulty and everything seemed to be affected by a variable he hadn't discovered yet.

"Yes…." Taka smiled and looked towards Sketch for a second, who looked at Night with eyes filled with hope, "however…now that he is present….it means that the current candidate to be the head of the Den…would be you…"

There were a lot of things that didn't make sense. Did this situation mean that he could even be the head of the Academy or the Range? Or was it only the Assassins Den, if so, then what made it special?

"I can assume you have many questions, but I hope you remember the nature of this class. We're assassins, beings raised to kill, that is all. Being the Head of the Den wouldn't mean that you own us, it simply means that you're the strongest assassin the Den knows of,"

"…..I see?" there was still far too much missing, even if one of his questions had been answered, it didn't make sense that they call it the head of the Den only for it to have no real powers. "What can I do…then?"

"Nothing really, unfortunately, this is something that nobody can overturn. To have any sort of power as the Head…you're required to be an Assassin. The situation is rather complicated…if I'm being honest, I didn't expect you, a Grandmaster, to clear it. Especially when everyone in the Den has been training their whole life just to pass these trials…"

"I see…." There was no helping the situation, there were some things that even bearing a Forbidden Grade curse couldn't bypass. However, the good news was that, some of what Taka stated made sense to him. 

"Then…I will take my leave. I thank you all, I will surely visit when I can," Night slightly bowed and made his way towards the entrance of the Den. As he walked out of the Den, Night noticed someone standing outside, and by the looks of it, this person was waiting for him.

"Night…" JetSky called out, he had a disappointed look on his face, naturally, since he was the one everyone looked up to, the best assassin, the perfect heir to the Den. However, Night simply swooped in and grabbed it all away…..Night, a Grandmaster.

"JetSky," Night stopped and looked at the dull man, he looked sad, but there was a hint of determination in him, just waiting desperately for a trigger, a reason to spring forth. 

"I heard you cleared the Trials?" JetSky asked nervously, small talk with the strongest player at the moment wasn't an easy task. Especially because Night, at the moment, could very well be considered a celebrity known all around the world.

"Yeah….yeah I did…" he could feel how tense the man in front of him was acting, Night didn't feel good about grabbing away the opportunity, unfortunately, that was the only choice he had. Night needed power, he needed to grow stronger, and for that purpose, he would do anything his soul allowed him to.

"…..I thought about what you said," JetSky said, the conversation wasn't exactly awkward, but it was like there was this lingering feeling of something to come. "And…I accept….If you will still have me then I will join The Primordials,"

Night tilted his head and looked at him for a few seconds, he didn't respond immediately and thought about it for a second before replying, "No…"

"....W-wwwhy..? You asked me to join, surely you're joking…?" Behind his confusion was a tinge of anger that he hid, losing his temper against Night would be foolish, especially before he understood his reasoning behind this.

"You…..you once told me that you will think about it after clearing the trials…my clearing of the trials has nothing to do with that, but for some reason, you think it does. I understand why you may feel down, but I hope you realize that you are and perhaps will always be…the strongest assassin. So live up to your goal, don't give up on yourself and on your determination," Night walked forward and placed his hand on JetSky's shoulder. "I know you'll clear it, and when you do. The gates of my clan shall always be open. Especially for the future leader of the Assassins Den," Night smiled and continued walking.

"...." JetSky, on the other hand, waited until all three of them were long gone. He stood still and looked at the ground, his eyes were shining and a smile broke out on his face. He couldn't help but smile, he was grateful. Grateful that the strongest player was Night and not some other wannabe.

"Thank you….thank you….I will do my best, and become someone that you find valuable…." JetSky said out loud, not caring who heard him, he wiped his tears with his hands and moved forward, his eyes were filled with fire and determination.

Meanwhile, Night who was now walking towards the Range stopped in his tracks and looked at Shade. "You've looked at me like this since we left…what's up?"

"My Lord….it's just that…..you've grown….I understand that I tell you this often…but it seems that My Lord received enlightenment of some kind…." Shade replied, to which Night simply snorted and continued walking forward. "Bah, stop…"

The truth was that this was the first time he noticed the difference Shade spoke about. He felt lighter, easier, and more flexible, it was as if his body received an upgrade.. There was a good chance it was the new Grade, however, Night had other things to worry about, he had to log out and get some sleep, after all, Greece wasn't going to be pleasant, not with all the random martial arts looking forward to fighting him.