Familiar Faces

        Within the evaluation room, Calvin walked Winter out. "According to the machine, your mana levels are unmeasurable," he explained, "We'd have to get permission from the higher-ups to use more advanced mana meters. This process usually takes three or more days." Winter turned his head to face Calvin, "Very well," he stepped ahead. The crowd of recruiters were in shock, unsure if they heard Calvin correctly. "I can't believe I'm witnessing this," one commented, as more recruiters gathered and talked to one another. As the others were too busy deciding how they'll approach Winter, one saw Aaron Whitfield enter Building B, "Holy shit!" They cursed, pointing at the entrance, "I-it's the Hunter's Guild Master!" Beside him, River followed, "What is Aaron Whitfield, the 'Ultimate Hunter,' doing here?!" Another asked, "Are they here to recruit a third S-rank?!" They asked again.

        "Aaron Whitfield? I've heard a lot about him," Winter thought, "The best wielder of fire magic? Isn't this the one who can destroy an entire building using a single spell?" Ultima asked, "Talk about 'ultimate', huh?" He thought awkwardly. The crowd behind them whispered to themselves, backing away. "Did they already know about him? I guess that's it for our chance," one mumbled, "the guild master himself came for this guy!" River stared at Winter, "He's an S-rank?!" He thought with wide eyes, "Everyone is talking about the machine's error message," Aaron Whitfield thought, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The Mythical Dungeon Association won't need to borrow another mana meter, he's undoubtedly one of the strongest here-" he thought, watching the storming aura coming from Winter's body- "There's no need to wait three days for his results," Aaron Whitfield chuckled to himself.

        "Good afternoon, I'm Aaron Whitfield, the master of the Hunter's guild-" he began, lifting his right hand- "Pardon me for asking, but I see that you've just been evaluated. Do you already have a guild you're interested in joining?" Aaron Whitfield asked, "If not, I'd like to discuss an opportunity with you. Do you have a few minutes?" He asked just before Winter stepped around him, "Sorry, but I have personal business to attend to," he replied. Devastated, Aaron Whitfield remained frozen in the same position for a moment. The crowd of recruiters gasped with shock, gossiping among them. "Another re-evaluation in three days-" Winter thought, stepping out of Building B- "There's already a bunch of things I need to get done. Perhaps I should finish that dungeon before getting back to the EWR tower," he sighed going down the steps. "Agent River, did I forget to introduce myself to him?" Aaron Whitfield asked, slowly turning to face him. River shrugged, before turning his head to watch Winter leave. Aaron Whitfield sighed with a smile, "Perhaps it was too soon for him," he thought. "Strange, he disappeared without a trace-" Aaron Whitfield looked out from the glass entrance- "He must be an exceptional assassin-type Mythic!" Erik rushed into the building, panting heavily. "If I recruit him, there will be three S-ranks in my guild, meaning we'd be the strongest among the world stage-" Aaron Whitfield thought, suddenly baffled to see Erik here as well- "Wait, what's he doing here?" Erik stared back, equally baffled, "Aaron Whitfield?!" He thought while huffing and puffing from the long run from his office, "Why does he look as if he was caught red-handed?" Aaron thought.

        "The White Lion guild is quite far from here-" he added- "He's out of breath, so he probably transformed to get here as quickly as possible!" Erik searched the room, sweat running down his forehead, "He must have known that guy was going to be here," Aaron thought, "could it be that Winter was the mysterious Mythic who helped the survivors of that Collapsing Dungeon incident?" A smug smirk grew on his face, "Bingo-" Aaron thought, stepping forward- "Not only didn't he let Winter go freely after, it was because he couldn't even stop him!" He thought walking past Erik, "From this brief encounter, that man cannot be easily controlled," he thought, stepping out from Building B. Erik sighed, "Damnit! Am I too late?" He thought, glancing over at Aaron, "Great, now that snake knows too!" Erik stepped out from Building B as well, "Now things are getting complicated!"

        Winter entered the EWR building, just as the sun was setting. "I need to become even stronger," he sighed, "Clearing the Demons' Castle is going to be tougher than I expected-" Winter thought, opening the elevator and pushing a button- "The boss must be even more difficult!" He leaned back against the railing, his eyes glazed over at the floor. Just as the elevator door opened, "Are you the mysterious Mythic that helped the survivors in the Collapsing Dungeon incident?" Agent River asked, standing in front of the elevator doors, "I always thought I had an eye for talent, but you've proven me wrong, Winter!" He added. Winter stepped out and stared at River's choice of sunglasses in an unlit room, "We keep running into each other, Agent River," he replied, "The main responsibility of the surveillance team is not to fight beasts, but to keep Mythics in order-" River explained- "Our job is to be the law enforcement of the Mythics, we're the only thing to keep them in check!" Winter turned his back to River and headed to his office. "I'm sorry River, but I'm busy," he explained, "Though we're pretty much useless against S-ranks like you, right?" River asked, and that seemed to catch his attention. Winter turned a bit to see River with one eye, "There's someone who'd like to meet you, Winter. He's been waiting in your office," he explained. River stood where he was before, hands in his pocket. "Who?" Winter asked, tilting his head, "The Chairman of the Mythical Dungeon Association, Leonardo Sears. He's here to meet you," River explained, with his left hand out. With the palm up he leaned forward and pointed toward the open door to Winter's office.

        Stepping inside his office, Winter's eyes widen when they meet Mr. Sears standing by the chairs in front of his desk. "That's the chairman?" Winter thought, "Winter Legendary Greats? It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm sure you know, but I'm Leonardo Sears," he explained, offering a hand to Winter. Mr. Sears was a muscular old man with gray hair, greenish-gray eyes, and numerous scars on his body, wearing a three-piece suit. "I don't think I can get away avoiding a handshake this time," Winter thought reaching out and shaking Mr. Sears' hand. "Shall we sit and have a chat?" He asks while they shake hands. "Despite his old age, he's like a retired wrestler!" Ultimate explained to Winter, "He's even an S-rank!" Winter sat down in his chair, and Mr. Sears sat in front of the desk. "He's the real deal, alright-" Winter thought, leaning back into his office chair- "I'm simply impressed. It was only a few years ago when I sent River here to evaluate you, and looking at you now; I can tell you've grown into a fine young man!" Mr. Sears leaned back into the office chair he sat in. "Thanks, but why did you come here just to speak with me? Is it about the Re-evaluation?" Winter asked, "Honestly, the second re-evaluation is meaningless-" Sears began, taking a breath in before continuing- "The advanced mana meters break down the results into categories. It can't measure the mana levels of your core when it exceeds the range," he explained with a smile. "But, it never would be an accurate measure of your mana core in the first place," Mr. Sears continued. "Why even have it then?" Winter asked, looking up from the paperwork that lay on his desk. "It serves as a Grace Period, so we can meet with individuals such as yourself, Winter!" He happily explained. "Mm," Winter nodded, "As you may know, there aren't many exceptional Mythics in the Mythical Dungeon Association, like River here, despite the size of the organization-" he paused, taking a deeper breath to finish the sentence- "Who would want to join the MDA when Major Guilds promise fame and fortune?" Mr. Sears asked, "Elite Mythics of the Major Guilds are well known, but not many know Agent River as a powerful Mythic," he explained. "That's why we tweaked to process a bit to meet with Mythics that have extraordinary powers-" Mr. Sears added before taking another deep breath- "In addition to contracting Major Guilds and individual Mythics in case of Mythical disasters like a Dungeon Break," he laughed softly. "Hmph," Winter chuffed with amusement. "There's much more, but to cut to the chase we are not a corporation. Therefore, we can't promise you a lot of money, nor fame-" Mr. Sears began- "However, I'll be able to help you in other ways!" He explained, "Hm? What do you mean?" Winter asked, sitting up. Mr. Sears sat up straight before speaking, "I'm offering you a proposition, Winter."

"What are you offering?" He asked, "I can make you one of us, while you keep your position here. You'll have your cake and eat it too," Mr. Sears replied. "Offering me power, huh?" Winter thought, "Why go all this way for just me?" He asked, "The five Major Guilds in Klato are currently in a delicate balance of power-" Mr. Sears explained- "If you were to join one, however, it would disrupt that balance and the distribution of power would cause a huge shift in the playing field," he finished, inhaled deeply. "Mythics can't be controlled by Government authority alone, they can't be forced to abide by the law conventionally, and that's where the MDA comes in. Do you understand now?" Mr. Sears asks, "That's right. Magic beasts aren't the only monsters in this world. Mythics are equally monstrous," Winter thought, nodding. "What is your decision, Mr. Greats?" Mr. Sears asks, leaning back in the office chair. "It's not a bad offer, and I would gain even more success with Mr. Sears' support," Winter thought, staring down at his desk. "He's got Influence over not only the Mythical Dungeon Association, but also the National Assembly, Government, and even the media-" He added, cusping his hands together- "Not to mention how powerful he is. I've bent over backward trying to level up, but I'm still only on par with Mr. Sears," Winter sighed, "I have a long way to go-" he thought- "Perhaps I could get unwanted gates, I'll be able to level up unhindered and get high-level resources from them!" He looked up at Mr. Sears, "The Mythical Dungeon Association is a separate entity of five Major Guilds in Klato, and acts as an opposing force, right?" Winter asked, "Yes, why do you ask?" Mr. Sears tilted his head, "We need the MDA more than ever because of the imbalance between them, so I want to join under one condition: I want unwanted dungeons," Winter explained, smiling warmly. "I think-" He thought with surprise on my face- "I found my successor."

"Do you just want the 'unwanted dungeons' we raid?" Mr. Sears asked, "Yes, That will be how I'm paid," Winter responded, nodding. "Really? And you'll be fine being on call for the MDA despite being the owner of EWR?" He asked, his eyes wide. "Yes-" Winter nodded- "The dungeons they raid are usually E to D-rank dungeons, which other guilds leave hanging. Since the System actively wants me to grow, and upgrades any dungeon weaker than me, I'll be able to grow no matter what!" Winter thought, "This man-" Sears thought- "He's special," he smiled. "Very well, We'll give you a portion of these dungeons," Mr. Sears responded. "I belong in the dungeons, and what I do best is hunt monsters. I look forward to bringing that skill to the real world," Winter extended his hand out to Mr. Sears. His eyes pierced through Mr. Sears, with a seriousness he had not seen in a long time. "Those eyes-" he thought- "Winter's serious about this." With a smile, Sears extended his hand out to Winter, "I can't remember the last time I felt this excited," Sears thought, as they shook on the decision. "I didn't know my heart was still capable of beating this fast with my old age! Only if I was 20, not even 10 years younger-" He thought with a big smile on his face- "I would be fighting alongside young men like Winter."

"I have paperwork to get finished before the meeting tomorrow with the board, and I'd bet you're needed at home at this hour," Winter stood himself up. Mr. Sears stood himself up and looked at Winter's face once more, "Thank you for your time, I'll have the paperwork written out. Feel free to send back requests if it's not to your liking," Mr. Sears explained. "Very well," He nods. Mr. Sears stepped out, and River held the door for him. "River," Winter looked over with a raised eyebrow, "You do have a good eye-" Winter smirked- "I am the one who helped the White Lion Guild," River stood in the doorway shocked, he nodded before exiting the office. "Just found out?" Mr. Sears asked with a soft chuckle, "Y-yes, sir," River sighed. "Do you remember when healing magic was first discovered?" Mr. Sears asked, stepping into the elevator, "I do, sir. Why ask, if I may?" River asked, "I thought that I might be able to regain my thought-" Sears paused, taking in a deep, controlled breath- "I thought I could finally get rid of my aging body!" He looked out of the glass panels of the elevator, "It was false hope, and even you know that no healing magic could reverse old age," Mr. Sears added. "The Major Guilds are recruiting new members as we speak, and even now, they're already as powerful as the country's military forces," Sears explained, "It's a grim future. The second the MDA loses power, they'd be Mythical disasters on their own!" River stepped forward, standing beside Mr. Sears, "Sir, you're still the head of the MDA, and we have Winter to back us up with EWR, we're far from out of the game, now!" River explained.

"That's right. I always thought I had to be in power to show everyone that the MDA was thriving, but it seems I'm wrong," he had a soft smile on his face, with hope of a better future. "What a strange young man-" Mr. Sears thought- "He sure 'belongs in the dungeons,' alright!" Mr. Sears laughed to himself, "Clear my schedule for tomorrow," he exhaled. "Don't you have a meeting with the ministers tomorrow morning?" River asked, "I'm not in the mood to waste my energy on those geezers! How about we go out for some drinks, River?" He asked in return, "I suppose, but I'm not much of a drinker, sir-" He began awkwardly- "Will that be alright?" Mr. Sears laughed, but abruptly ended with coughing, "Sorry, that's quite the surprise!" He turned his head to face River. "What excitement you brought me, Winter-" He thought turning back to look out the window panels- "I wonder how well he can hold his liquor!" Mr. Sears laughed.