A Decade

"Join… your guild?" Alex asked, confused. "I don't wish to join any guilds, guild master. I am happy with my own store."

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. I'm not asking you to work in our guild, just be a member of it," he said. "You don't have to do anything, just get a license from us. That's all."

"I… don't really see the point of that, senior. I already got my license from the Blackfrost guild," Alex said. "I don't need another one."

The old man didn't budge. "If you get ours, we can help you a ton," he said. "You are young right now and already so talented. Under the right guidance, you can easily become a Supreme Immortal Alchemist in the near future."

"Near future?" Alex asked. "How near are we talking?"

The man could see that Alex was interested at this point. "Within the next 100 years. Maybe even less."

Alex shook his head. "That's too late for me, senior. I need to become one within a decade or two."