Chapter 900 A Celebration

The Central Hall was where all members of Ascent gathered. Some new additions have made the mood tense because the whitish-looking girl did not look easy to befriend. Most of the time, she wore a frown and stared at Yuran.

"Is there something on my face?" asked Yuran as he scratched his face while staring at her. "As your older brother, I would say that it is rude to stare at people like this."

"Older brother!" scoffed Rae with a mocking smile. "You have escaped Shon like a rat, which makes you no brother of mine."

"And haven't we now ended up in the same place?" asked Yuran, making Rae open her mouth several times to answer but could not. She has escaped too, and the exchange made the place more awkward.

"Is Arthur going to be late?" asked Jonah while sipping his juice box through a straw. It was lemon-flavored milk, an item that made others feel repulsed.

"You should call him Guild Master when we are around," said Alan, who seemed too serious compared to Jonah. The young man glanced at him and his tall build before coughing. "We were told to assemble, so we shall."

"There is no need for formalities between us," said Yuran with a smile before turning to the masked man beside him. "Even Li has started talking to us sometimes."

Silence.

The Central Hall had a round table with twelve seats in it. It was designed to host the Guild Masters of the sub-guilds, plus Arthur and Julia. At the moment, it was occupied by no more than five.

After a certain period of silence, the door opened. Arthur entered the hall, followed by Julia, and the two sat beside each other on the far end of the round table, opposite the five members. Despite being friends, none of them seemed excited to see Arthur. Instead, all of them stared at him with apprehension.

"No need for the long faces," said Arthur as he took his seat before waving his hand over the table. The round table lit up as holograms and maps appeared around it. In front of each member was a hologram showcasing their guilds. Rae had a list of the guilds she could choose. "We can start our first meeting."

"All of you have been assigned to your chosen guilds, each based in a different major nation worldwide. Your jobs are to gather members and conquer guilds. Those with the highest clearing rate will receive resources according to rank."

"Rank?" asked Rae with a frown. "Fighting against each other will not be a good environment for the guilds to prosper, not that I would shy away from a fight."

"You are a new member, so you would not know the rules," said Arthur as he turned to Rae. His finger lightly tapped on the table. "Those who follow me cannot harm each other or civilians. Those who do…."

Arthur did not finish his sentence. However, those present did not mind the threat because they knew Arthur needed to set some ground rules, even if not for them.

"What about the other guilds?" asked Yuran as he raised his hand. "There are only five of us, but the recruitment is ongoing for all ten guilds. Are we going to have more members joining us?"

"Aurora, the witch of hearts," said Arthur before turning toward Julia, who shook her head. "Some others might arrive, but we will have to wait. Remember, while I chose everyone based on those I trust, I expect nothing but the best."

"What will we receive as guild masters?" asked Jonah, raising his hand. Arthur smiled in response to the most realistic question.

"You will obtain twenty percent of whatever your guilds manage to loot, in addition to an ability once any of your guilds reach the C-rank. From then on, you will gain a new ability with each rank you reach."

Everyone was silent at the reward because it was too appealing. It would double or triple their powers if they could choose whatever ability they wished for. Each of them had goals and dreams for themselves, so no one refused an offer of power.

"If there are any more questions, I am free to answer them," said Arthur as he looked around the table. The one who raised her hand this time was Rae, and he nodded at her.

"I want the guild in Shon."

"That will be Gentledawn," said Julia as she retrieved the information. "Shon has yielded us the fewest application, making this guild the hardest one to lead. Furthermore, we have little information about that place."

"That is why I am the perfect person to lead it. Furthermore, it will allow me to achieve my own goal."

"And what is that?" asked Yuran with a concerned look.

"If you cared, you would have done it long ago," said Rae with a glance before she returned to Arthur. "Is there a problem with my request, Guild Master?"

Arthur was silent before smiling and nodding.

"You can have it."

Then, he rose from his seat while staring at Rae.

"However, I need to know one thing. If you had to choose between your guild and your goal, which one would you choose?" asked Arthur with his right hand resting on the table. The members were silent as Rae tried to meet the golden eyes.

"I will choose both," said Rae without hesitation. "I do not plan on compromising anything. I doubt Ascent is a guild who would compromise, either."

"Welcome to Ascent," said Arthur with a smile before raising his hand. Lights exploded from the table to cover the entire Central Hall as the dim lights shone bright in the ceiling. Rae was still confused by the change when the music started playing and food appeared on the table.

"What…?" muttered Rae with confusion before the other members rose from their seats and sat beside her, with Julia included.

"My name is Julia," she said with a smile as she held her forearm. "I was beginning to worry since Ascent is mostly men. I'm so glad that you joined us, Saint of Shon."

"I…" stammered Rae as she looked for words. The one who sat on the other side was Jonah, who put a drink in her hand without realizing it.

"You already know me, the second ranker!" said Jonah with a grin. "I never thought I would see another student of Jerano here. We are going to change the world!"

The rest of the members also made their introductions, overwhelming Rae. As for Arthur, he simply stared from a distance with a smile. Then, he reached for a cup, making the others cease their chatter.

"This is a toast to our newest comrade," said Arthur with a smile while raising his glass. The rest also grinned and raised theirs, all cheering for the new member.

Rae seemed confused as she kept glancing at Arthur with a frown. In the end, he stood with a smile before walking toward her, seeing that she had not raised her glass.

"There will be times for fights and times for debates. However, there is always a time to celebrate a good fighter joining us. This celebration is in your name, Rae," said Arthur as he held his cup before her.

Rae blinked at him as if seeing him for the first time. Then, she smiled and chuckled before raising her cup and clinking his. The rest of the members cheered as the two drank simultaneously.

"Hah!" the two finished their cups simultaneously before slamming them on the table. At that moment, they stared at each other, remembering something that had happened after they enrolled.

"You want a rematch?" asked Arthur with a grin. "I'm afraid that I will remain undefeated."

"Bring it on!" she said with a ferocious expression as she jumped from her chair. Jonah grabbed two cups and gave them to them under the speechless eyes of the rest.

Then, a drinking competition began between the two, similar to the time in Jerano.

"…I thought I would get an elegant friend," said Julia with a speechless face as she stared at Rae bickering with Arthur and the latter arguing back. "But, seeing our Guild Master loosen up, I can wait a little longer."

"It is the first time I see him like this, too," said Yuran with a smile. "I was starting to fear that he has grown too powerful for our understanding, but that seems untrue."

"Kids will be kids," said Alan behind them as he sipped from his glass. At that moment, Arthur slammed his cup on the table, making it shake. Then, he shot the three a fierce look.

"Why are we the only ones drinking?" Arthur asked, squinting his eyes. The three gulped down before starting to chug down their drinks too. "Let us celebrate!"

The music grew louder as the members started eating and drinking. Jonah was even bold enough to dance with Julia, but she embarrassed him by being too good for him. The one who managed to keep up with her was Yuran, who turned out to be a graceful dancer.

Thus, the celebration continued until the members started passing out. The noise grew less with each fallen victim until only one person sat on the table, with another leaning against a far wall.

"We are the only survivors, huh?" asked Arthur as he stared at the wine in his cup. "These drinks should be powerful enough to knock out a normal man for seven days. However, I am still awake."

Arthur gulped down his drink before placing it down and staring at Li. The masked man has not danced, eaten, or drank anything. Instead, he watched the celebration from the sidelines, sticking to his character.

"No one can see you now, Li. Sit down and have a drink," said Arthur as he waved his hand, summoning more drinks from the table. This time, Li obliged and walked forward to pull a chair. He sat opposite Arthur before grabbing his cup. "It has been a long time since we met, right?"

Li nodded before raising his glass to his mouth. The cup passed through the mask like an illusion, and Li started drinking his alcohol. Arthur watched him with a smile.

"At that time, Mistletoe was everything to me. I promised to take revenge on Ilios for what they did when they ambushed us, and I did. However, Mistletoe is an enemy now."

"Sier is not an enemy," exclaimed Li after placing his cup down. "Omniscient Vessel is our enemy. It can be hard for the two to differ."

"I don't know anymore, Li," said Arthur as he placed down his cup. He smiled while closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "I have no idea who the enemy is."