Chapter 273 273. DUEL

Noah continued a series of actions that he eventually determined were mainly based on agility and flexibility. The type that he didn't possess. Or that his body hadn't gotten used to.

'It's pointless, I'll need to train my body rigorously to do what she did,' Noah evaluated inwardly. He had already given up after about half an hour.

"Three months," he muttered. "I don't have that type of time to only hone my skills. I need to level up."

"Maybe I can strike a deal with her or something," he considered sweeping his gaze on the dark environment filled with many lights. "I'll probably get beaten a bit for that," he chuckled.

Elder Sarah surely was a character, he understood what the armored man had meant by her being unique after experiencing it firsthand. She was violent and cared not about the well-being of others at least to a certain level.

Her character even contrasted with her appearance. No one would imagine that she was capable of such brutality if they didn't experience it themselves.

Getting up at some point, Noah decided to take his leave. He had spent close to an hour there, and the main reason he came there wasn't something that could be achieved in an hour.

His walk back to the entrance into the field was however interrupted by a group of three individuals. Two of them had power in the peak of the lower stage, while the strongest held power past the bottom point of the middle stage.

"How may I help you?" Noah began politely. It didn't seem necessary to act cold towards them, they were guildmates who could not hurt each other until certain requirements were made. They didn't even seem hostile or disrespectful.

"I'm Jace," The strongest said stretching his hand forward for a handshake. "I'm creating a party that would go on missions together, and I'd like to have you as one of its members," the young-looking man explained immediately after Noah took his hand.

At those words, Noah recalled an explanation of such in the black book. Guildmates; so as to advance quickly through ranks were able to create groups with the lowest number of individuals being three. These groups of individuals could then take jobs and share their pay.

An even better way of earning more was if the leader of the group was of higher rank and the others were lower-ranked. They could take jobs ranked at the leaders level and it would be considered that they had done a job at that rank, even if they wouldn't be immediately promoted.

The idea was mostly good, but Noah found it unfavorable, especially for someone like him who had too many secrets.

Thanks to the guild, he could mostly disguise his speed as a technique, but he understood that he would face some issues at some point.

"Sorry but no," Noah calmly replied, and the man's countenance visibly fell.

"I'll be sure to cut our earnings in favor of you," Jace promptly announced, looking desperate.

"Are they okay with that?" Noah asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, they are," Jace replied glancing at the two males. "Are you not?" he asked them and they nodded with smiles that Noah felt were fake.

"If they are, I'm not. Such partial treatment will eventually lead to issues that are too annoying to deal with. And besides, I'm a new member, you're a D rank. You will order me around and I'll be unable to do anything as a result of the oath," Noah explained blankly, performing a shrug.

Jace could only fall silent at that point. His mouth opened a few times, but no words exited them.

"I'll take my leave then," Noah announced ready to take a step forward.

"Would you at least duel me? I know who you are; everyone knows, that's why I approached you. Thankfully I was the first. There will be more offers, probably better than mine, so I enjoin you to do at least this for me," Jace explained, and Noah couldn't help but be taken aback.

'Is everyone in this place a battle junkie,' he shook his head inwardly while considering the man's plea. He didn't find it surprising that he had become popular and that people wanted him, after all, he had been facing such since he arrived in Cregar.

"What do I get for dueling you?" Noah eventually voiced his thoughts.

Jace fell into thought at that point, and Noah couldn't help but glance at the two lower-stage cultivators patiently waiting behind the young man. He had caught both individuals stealing glances at him, and began to wonder whether his torn clothes stood out.

"Unfortunately I can only pay you in coins since there isn't much one me," Jace explained.

'Says the man donned in a peak middle-stage light armor,' snorted Noah inwardly when he checked out the equipment the young man before him had on.

"How much are you willing to let go?" Noah replied with a bored expression.

"50 large silver coins," Jace promptly replied forcing an eyebrow to rise on Noah's face.

'5000 worth of small silvers,' Noah thought, amused that someone would throw away that kind of money for a mere duel.

"What are the rules of the duel?" Noah asked fully interested at that point, it felt like a waste to not indulge the man in a duel that he considered he had already won. Jace was only a man with an Octahedral orange core. Only yellow-cored individuals proved to be somewhat threatening.

"If you win; you take the coins, but when I win you have to join my groups for at least five missions," Jace explained without the slightest bit of hesitation.

'When?' Noah grinned inwardly. 'I like his confidence, but it couldn't be more wrongly placed' Noah shook his head inwardly.

"I agree," Noah announced, and Jace immediately began the process of a duel.

"Do you Aiden agree to participate in a duel. If you win you receive 50 large silver coins, and if I win you join my party for five missions? The loser is the first to beg for their life!" Jace announced feeling his chest tingle as a result of the glowing guild mark.

"I agree!" Noah declared loudly.

Immediately after his reply ended, a golden light shot out of both their chests, unhindered by their attires. The lights converged in front of both individuals to form the guild's crest before vanishing.

Noah immediately felt a connection with the young-looking man before him, but he didn't care much about that detail since he had to jump backward to dodge the balls of orange flames flying toward him from an expanded magical circle.

"He didn't even wait for me to get prepared," Noah clicked his tongue casting his armor spell. A deep-yellow magical circle expanded beneath his figure, and the light of a battle armor illusory in nature emanated from his figure.

Noah retrieved his daggers from his inventory, and for the first time he gained that ability he switched to his dark side.

The world around him lost its color and luster, as only blandness and darkness remained before his rage-filled eyes. Violent thoughts and imaginations caused his soul realm to experience a low tremble. Thankfully he managed to stop his mind from falling into depression and quickly shot forward to carry out a brutal set of actions.