Noah had to keep a straight face in front of that welcome, but within him was relief and excitement. Mental fatigue tried to wear him down immediately he felt relieved, and the tension that had been pent up inside him, but couldn't express itself due to his emotionless state, hit him with full force.
However, everything quickly subsided, and he didn't hesitate to perform bows at the four individuals, two men, and two women.
"You did incredibly well. And even figured out the last challenge," the brown-haired female amongst the two spoke elatedly.
The four of them gathered around him, but he had to deactivate his spell first. Noah could feel that none of the experts were lightning affinity wielders, but he couldn't deny their incredible power.
All four individuals radiated power at the very peak of the middle-stage threatening to spill into the last stage before tier 4.
'Peak grade 2 bodies and all yellow cored in the spherical stage,' Noah thought, feeling shocked at that talent. The only difference between the four was their affinities and of course the slight differences in power.
Nevertheless, the four of them radiated strong confidence even if they looked elated at his success.
"It's wonderful gaining such an incredibly strong member. It's felt like years since we had any newcomers," the black-haired male in the group spoke in a dramatic tone.
"Because it's been years!" the brown-haired lady countered playfully hitting his back. "But he's right, it's been ages since a test for new members was held," the lady said focusing on Noah.
"I thought it was every two or four years," Noah asked trying to recall what the man that had registered him said.
"Normally it would, but the higher-ups changed their minds, and it been ten whole years since the last one," the other female in the group replied before the brown-haired lady could, and she revealed a pouting expression.
"You already want to try your so-called unique charm on him," the second male in the group who had remained silent teased with a smug grin, quickly taking multiple steps from the second lady.
"You!---" she exclaimed embarrassed, and Noah lost them afterward.
The scene of four really talented experts bickering and teasing each other felt so wholesome that Noah could only smile when they remembered his presence, before bickering again.
The group would take turns in asking him questions, but they never went into anything that could even be slightly considered personal, only questions like how he got so beautiful and other lighthearted questions.
Noah felt forced to loosen up at their friendly nature, as he soon began to enjoy their company. From the time he spent with them, he could tell that they shared a bond, a tight one.
"I was the first to volunteer to welcome you newcomers, but these knuckleheads joined in," the brown-haired lady pouted as they sat down cross-legged on the snow.
Her name being Rena, she was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, had an oval face and fair skin, and featured long brown and straight hair that had soft bends. On her face were long eyebrows wavy in shape. She sported an upturned nose that Noah considered was the right size and lastly, her eyes were hazel in color. In short, she looked incredible.
Still, even among these details, she held a cheerful and welcoming vibe. Noah could also sense a level of maturity deep within her current cheerful outlook.
The names of the other were as followed, Tiana, being the second lady, Rio being the black-haired guy and finally Seth.
Tiana looked no older than Rena but had long reddish-blonde hairy wavy in nature. This already gave her a unique look that even Noah found sultry. She had an oval face with a small straight nose, greenish eyes that seemed to glisten every once in a while, and the bodycon gown she had on couldn't emphasize her hourglass shape even more. Noah found her alluring, and she had already established her interest in him.
Rio was as mentioned; the black-haired man. He looked to be in his early thirties and had a round face that featured no beard. His hair was short but wavy. There wasn't much to say due to his average looks but Noah liked his jokes.
Seth, on the other hand, was a man who looked in his mid-twenties or late twenties, he had a square face with a defined chin and jawline. Featuring straight reddish-brown hair, he looked related to Tiana and actually was.
Apparently, both were born to the same father, but different mothers, and were of the same age. Seth was tall standing at around 6ft2 he had the same height as Noah. But Noah surpassed him in looks.
The young man mostly ignored Noah. A behavior Noah could guess was envy. He seemed to share a tight connection with his step-sister. One that bordered romance, but only on his side. In essence, he had a crush on his step-sister, but she didn't feel the same.
All four of them asked him to refer to them by their names, but Noah felt uncomfortable and settled for adding "Senior". He appreciated their niceness, but getting too close was something he steered away from.
"You're pretty popular amongst the guild members," Tiana said at some point.
"Yeah. We were allowed to watch some of the aspirants in action and yours managed to remain the most entertaining," Rio added shaking his head.
"We ran wild seeing you lift the metal balls, and even the more recent ones of you casually slaughtering middle-stage magical beasts," Rio continued in an amused tone.
"It truly was entertaining," Rio laughed, "All that you require now is good training and you'll be considered a true monster," the expert added, with the others nodding.
Needless to say, this left Noah surprised, and he could only voice his confusion mixed with excitement.
"Am I not strong enough o be considered a monster?" Noah asked. His question sounding awkward to his ears after he heard himself speak.
"You have the potential. But you need just a bit more," Tiana responded grazing her palms on Noah's right arm. An action that wasn't necessary, but he understood the gesture. She even sat close to him.
"What is that I need to improve on," Noah asked knowing the answer to his question.
The group fell silent at that point before Seth opened his mouth to talk.
"Mostly your fighting style. You lack finesse, and proper training," the expert started. "It pretty clear in your moves how untrained you are and how without a real technique you are. You simply have the raw talent that can only be maximized through proper and intense training," he said.
'In truth you really are strong, but your battle sense is extremely lacking. And compared to the monsters we've witnessed all you have is raw power. Against such individuals you'd lose in literally two exchanges," Rena chipped in, and the rest nodded in agreement.
Noah could only nod inwardly at their words, it seemed his issue could be spotted by anyone relatively knowledgeable.
Needless to say, the topic of monsters piqued his interest, but he couldn't dive deeper into the topic since the trees behind them parted ways.
After three hours of waiting the second person or rather group of persons arrived.