"We can't have infighting amongst fellow Adventurers, can we?" A commanding voice broke through the tension.
Ewaan and the Katzlein girl turned to look at him together.
Standing at 198cm tall with a robust build, with short brown hair, he bore a scratched-out left eye, giving him a rugged appearance.
He exuded an impeccable aura that surrounded him, commanding attention effortlessly.
The Katzlein girl appeared slightly stunned, while Ewaan stood resolute.
"Who are you? What is the meaning of this?" Ewaan's tone grew more stern, with his eyes narrowing slightly as he awaited an answer from the mysterious captor.
– A young man with white hair and eyes of a seasoned warrior... Interesting...
As his gaze fixed on Ewaan, the robust man contemplated the description with a raised eyebrow, intrigued by his enigmatic qualities.
He responded calmly with a smirk, "I'm the Master of this Guild, Ivan Schwarzenegger. Regarding this," he gestured at the metallic spell, "if you promise not to engage in further conflict, I'll release the spell. What do you say?"
Ewaan quickly activated—‹Appraisal›— with a mental invoke to check the supposedly guild master's stats,
〘PROFILE〙〘Skills〙
〘IVAN SCHWARZENEGGER〙
〘Legendary Adventurer〙
〘Level 65〙
〘43 Years〙〘Male〙〘Human〙
__________________________________________
〘Class: Adventurer Knight〙
〘Attribute: Metal〙
__________________________________________
〘Strength: 1420〙
〘Constitution: 1525〙
〘Dexterity: 1766〙
〘Intelligence: 245〙
〘Wisdom: 155〙
〘Magic Points: 720〙
__________________________________________
〘Affiliation: Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild Headquarters〙
〘Criminal Record: None〙
〘SPECIALTY: Leadership, Strategic Planning, Close-quarter Combat, Defence Tactics, Surrounding Knowledge, Diplomacy and Negotiation〙
〘WEAKNESS: Afraid of Heights, Vulnerability to Political Intrigue, Mental Attacks〙
__________________________________________
✥ Currently In Possession Of The Tier-1 Artifact ‹Neronium Knuckles›
°°°
Ewaan, observing the changes in his Appraisal skill, noted the separation of status and skills, along with the addition of weaknesses and specialties.
As he compared his stats to the guild master's, he sighed, acknowledging the evident gap.
– Level 65 and those stats?
Ewaan muttered to himself, he sighed with a tinge of frustration evident in his voice.
– Sigh... I really did leave my humanity behind... Didn't I?
He glanced at Ivan while maintaining his poker face,
– But, seriously! Afraid of heights? This mountainous of a guy is afraid of heights??
Ewaan asserted with a stern gaze, "I didn't start the fight, she did!" directing his gaze at the Katzlein girl, he added, "I was simply defending myself…"
– I could simply break these chains with shear strength, but let's not create unnecessary trouble...
Ewaan pondered.
Guild master Ivan Schwarzenegger raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to the girl, awaiting her side of the story.
The Katzlein girl explained, "He sat on my tail, so I instinctively attacked him…" She glared at Ewaan for a moment before adding, "Sorry for the offense…" before glancing away.
"Just don't attack people randomly, and we won't have a problem." Ewaan responded bluntly, before sighing, "I apologize as well for accidentally sitting on your tail… It was unintentional!"
The girl, with a mixture of surprise and understanding, responded, "apology accepted. Let's avoid any further conflicts from now on."
"Now was that too hard?" Ivan said, a friendly smile playing on his lips.
With a snap of his fingers, the spell ‹Ferrous Bindings› dissipated into shimmering silver particles, freeing both Ewaan and the girl.
Ewaan attempted to walk right away, but Master Ivan's firm hand halted him. "Hold on, young man. You're not a familiar face around here. Who are you?" Ivan inquired with a curious gaze.
Ewaan responded, "Just a traveler passing through, considering joining the guild," then met Master Ivan's gaze with a steady expression.
Master Ivan, with a curious look, inquired, "Just a traveler, huh? Well, if you're interested in joining…" With a thoughtful expression, he turned and gestured, "Come with me then! I'll see what you've got to join my guild," accompanied by a confident smirk that hinted at his dignified demeanor.
Ivan led the way to the Practice Ground behind the main hall of the Adventurers Guild, with Ewaan following closely behind.
The news of the guild master personally testing a rookie spread rapidly, reaching Ayaka, Ayami, and Maya as well, piquing their curiosity greatly.
"Looks like the guild master's putting someone through their paces," Ayami murmured in surprise, shooting Maya a curious glance. "Let's go check it out."
With a nod, Maya and Ayami started following the whispers of excitement to the Practice Ground.
"Have you seen mister Ewaan anywhere?" Ayaka inquired as she joined them, walking together towards the gathering crowd near the practice ground.
"Now that you mention it, where is that jerk anyway?" Still walking, Ayami exclaimed with curiosity as they began to look around in search of Ewaan.
As the girls, along with the Katzlein girl, approached the practice ground, they found a large crowd already gathered, eagerly anticipating the spectacle about to unfold.
Ayaka, Ayami, and Maya exchanged surprised glances as they realized that the unlucky person chosen for testing by the guild master was none other than Ewaan.
Their expressions shifted from curiosity to concern as they watched the guild master and Ewaan standing opposite each other.
Ayami muttered, "Oh great, so this jerk is here, getting the guild master's attention."
Her grin carried a mix of sheepishness and concern, while her curiosity remained piqued, eager to see how Ewaan would fare against the guild master now that he had been baptized and gained new abilities.
Guild master Ivan inquired, "So, what's your specialty?" His question prompted Ewaan to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.
Sensing Ewaan's confusion, Ivan clarified, "I mean, can you wield a weapon or are you a mage?"
Ewaan replied with a poker face, "I have some knowledge of weapons and martial arts, so fighting bare-handed or with any weapon won't be a problem."
"Is that so?" Ivan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Well, let's put that to the test, shall we?"
Master Ivan retrieved two wooden swords from a barrel in the corner of the practice ground and tossing one toward Ewaan.
He caught the sword effortlessly, his movements fluid as he assumed a back stance, readying himself for the impending duel.
"Oh~? It seems you do know your way with a weapon..." Master Ivan swiftly advanced towards Ewaan, displaying an extraordinary pace.
Ivan then struck him with his sword, employing a certain amount of strength.
However, Ewaan deftly blocked the attack, his movements precise as he adopted a poised stance and reinforced his grip on the wooden sword.
"But knowing how to wield it won't be enough if you lack the strength!" Master Ivan remarked, his voice firm and authoritative.
As Ewaan observed the gathering crowd, his mind raced with thoughts.
– If I defeat him here, it might draw unnecessary attention, I should try suppressing my strength a little and not reveal too much,
His expression remained calm and composed as he strategically held back his true strength, fully focused on the task at hand.
The practice ground reverberated with the clatter of wooden swords as Ewaan and Ivan clashed in a flurry of rapid strikes.
Ivan, displaying unmatched skills, launched precise attacks at Ewaan, who met each blow with lightning-fast reflexes and unwavering resolve.
Their movements were a blur of motion, with Ewaan's agility and Ivan's mastery creating an electrifying spectacle for the onlookers.
As the intensity of the duel reached its peak, the onlookers watched with bated breath, their anticipation palpable in the air.
With each calculated clash, Ewaan skillfully feigned a struggled expression, his movements becoming more erratic as he purposefully loosened his grip on the sword.
To the untrained eye, it seemed like an unexpected mishap, but Ewaan's actions were deliberate.
Ivan, caught up in the heat of the battle, failed to notice the subtle strategy at play. The onlookers were left in awe, murmuring amongst themselves as they witnessed their fierce clash.
Ivan pointed the wooden sword at Ewaan's face with a smirk, taunting him, "Just that, huh?"
Fraustated, Ewaan sprang into action. With lightning speed, he executed a flawless backflip, simultaneously delivering an unexpected kick that knocked the sword out of Ivan's hand.
••• ••• •••