Chapter 21: Transcendent

Arnold arrived in front of the Adventurer Guild.

However, he wasn't there as Arnold von Berkley. Rather, he would now be known as Nova.

A bumpkin who travels the world in search of strong foes to test his swordsmanship.

Liam had always wanted to have a cool alter-ego so he was excited to become Nova. He strove to imitate his Guild Master, Alecs and follow her example. She had influenced his life greatly so he figured it was fine to act like the one he admired the most.

He had used the magic item earring in his right ear to change his dark blue hair to a whitish silver. His eyes were also a light silver.

He wore wyvern-scale armor which could repel most attacks from D class monsters. The armor was consisted of chainmail underneath which could stop a blade from going too deep. Since it would've been suspicious to have a full set, he only bought a chest piece which protected the right shoulder and his torso. He wore black pants and black boots. One both his arms, there were gauntlets which served as wrist guards. It wasn't fancy equipment by any means. It was equipment poor noble sons or village people would wear.

Arnold cleared his throat and tried doing a deeper voice. After doing that for a while, he entered the guild.

Bustling as usual, he thought to himself as he looked around.

The Guild was always filled with those seeking to put up a request, adventurers coming in and out of the building and receptionists.

'There are more receptionists than usual.'

There were about ten receptionists, each tending to their own respective queue. Many who made up those queues were the participants for the Joint Party.

While it was called a 'Joint' quest, Arnold was certain that none of these guys would agree to work together. They were only a bunch of barbarians who moved for profit. The possibility that they would fight over the riches obtained from the quest was highly possible.

Lots of blood would be shed as a result of that.

Arnold—no, Nova looked around the Guild before he headed towards the booths. He was looking for a certain someone.

"Where is he?" Since there were so many people inside the building, Nova couldn't immediately spot the person he was looking for.

He was short so that made things even harder.

"There he is." After pushing through the crowd, Arnold spotted the person he was looking for.

"Hey."

He approached the person. The boy was lying on the table with his head between his arms. He lifted his head and gazed up.

A tired expression was on his face. Even his eyes were baggy and half-closed.

"U-Um, may I help you?"

'He can't recognize me. That's good.'

Magic casters could develop ways to see through appearance altering artifacts once they reached a certain level of strength.

This further proved that the boy's magical potential was average.

However, Arnold didn't mind how strong or weak the boy was. What mattered was his teaching abilities.

On another note, if there was someone much more powerful than him then they'd also be able to see past his magic item's altering.

"I think you can." Arnold said in his deep voice. He sat down on the empty chair opposite the boy. "You see, I have come from far in search of strong opponents who I can slay with my Wyvern Sword. I have considered becoming an adventurer to fulfil those desires. However, I am in a bit of a dilemma."

Arnold gazed into the confused boy's eyes.

"I am in need of a companion."

The boy's eyes sparkled at his words.

"T-Then does that mean you'll take anyone willing to become your companion?"

'Yikes…I can see how desperate you are, kid.'

Part of the reason why he had approached the boy specifically was out of pity. But the main reason was to learn magic from the boy.

Although it was easy for him to request to attend a lecture at the Magic Tower in the Empire, he found that it was much more beneficial to learn under the boy. Most of the things they taught at the Magic Tower were useless anyway.

As Liam only tapped buttons to activate spells during his time as Lufulur, he had no idea how the magic system actually worked.

'I memorized 900 spells for nothing.'

Arnold had considered approaching Lauran. She was literally going to become the one who transcends the peak of Magic for this world. However, there was a bit of problem from asking her.

Even the person in question has no idea why she can use magic. It just happened one day.

No training. No formal education. It just came naturally.

He had also considered asking his mother, however, she was way too busy. Being a 7-star mage was taxing enough as she had many responsibilities to uphold. She would always be requested to attend lectures to grade teachers at the academy. They pay her, of course. As a person who values the growth of children, she never says no.

The teachers who disappoint her with their lectures are immediately fired. That was the kind of power one held as a 7-star magic caster.

'It's better to learn from someone who actually studied and has enough time.' Arnold thought as he answered the boy.

"No. Not just anybody. I want someone who values comradeship and teamwork. Think about it, if I actually disregarded those two things, wouldn't I have approached any barbarian I see?"

"That, that makes sense…" The boy nodded as an expression of understanding appeared on his face.

"It has come to my attention that you are alone. Where are your comrades?" Arnold asked as if he didn't already know the boy's situation.

"I…I don't have any." His small shoulders sank back.

"Really now…" Wearing an expression of thinking about something, Arnold tilted his head. "How about the two of us team up? What say you?"

Arnold extended a hand.

"T-Team up? That is…" The boy's eyes swam around the room.

It was adorable how he tried his best to not show how desperate he actually was. His entire face heated up.

He twirled his hair with his finger before saying:

"Okay…" The boy grasped Arnold's hand.

'Hmm…His hand is so small and soft. I guess it's as expected of a magic user. But still, as a boy he needs to have some natural muscle, no?'

Arnold didn't mind it and introduced himself.

"By the way, I'm Nova. I come from a swordsmith village deep in the Culb mountains."

"That's really far from here. Ah, my name is Lucri." The boy lowered his head as he introduced himself.

"What a strange name for a boy."

"Y-Yeah….My mum gave it to me. Anyway! May I ask something?"

"Sure."

"…Since we're teammates anyway…May I hear what you think about joining the Dragon Raid Party? They say that just participating can earn you ten silvers."

"Well, I came prepared for anything, so why not?" Arnold smiled as he showed his magic storage bag which was almost overloaded with supplies.

"Plus, fighting a dragon as my first subjugation quest would surely spread my name." A confident smirk emerged on his face.

"Excellent!" The boy lifted his arms and hurrahed. After noticing his embarrassing behavior, he lowered his arms with a red face.

"I-I mean, that's a relief. I've been looking for a teammate for a week by now."

"Well, I'm sure the two of us can work great together." Arnold gave a thumbs up. "By the way, it seems like something is happening at the reception. What's going on?"

He asked as he gazed at the adventurers who signed their names on contracts. It was a kind of pledge that would avoid the Guild getting into trouble if one of them dies along the way. They'd cover funeral fees, but that was basically it.

"It's because we're departing in half an hour. I have already given my name so I was only waiting for the others to finish." Lucri took something out of his bag.

"Hm? A cookie?"

He presented a lunchbox filled with cookies. There were about a dozen.

"Y-Yeah. Please take some. I made this for when I managed to recruit comrades. But since it's just us two…"

"Oh, thanks." Arnold took two. He bit down and chewed the piece in his mouth. "It's a little chewy…."

"W-Well, it's been a few days since I made them…"

"Can you cook, too?" Arnold asked since he was really bad at cooking himself. He couldn't boil an egg to save his life.

"Yup! My mum taught me a lot of things before she…" His voice trailed off. It got smaller and smaller.

"Oh…"

Arnold began feeling guilty for making him mention his mother. He could've meant that she left him, however, it could also mean she died.

Many people his age lost their parents in the previous war that happened many years ago. Luke was one of the orphans of the war.

Claudia's husband was one of the people who also went, leaving her to be a widow.

Part of the reason Arnold wanted Luke to bring her and her family to stay in the city was because of safety concerns. If something were to happen to them then there was no telling what the hero will do.

"A-Anyway, these taste great regardless of how old they are."

Although it tasted a little bitter since there wasn't a lot of sugar in it. Sugar was a very expensive resource in this world. Even ten grams cost 5 silver.

Perhaps the boy had used something else to substitute for it.

"I've already bought a few things we may need for the journey." Lucri gestured towards the bag next to him, on the floor.

"And a horse-drawn carriage?" Arnold asked.

"Unfortunately, I didn't have enough money…." Lucri lowered his head apologetically.

"No need to feel down. I'm fine with walking."

Arnold said that, but he also had no money. He had decided to leave all his things at the castle so he could earn money on his own.

He was basically a level 1 newbie like all the newbies he had sniped out of pettiness in the game.

There was no reason for him to do all these things, however, he had a special reason why he did.

He wanted to experience the life of this world's NPCs. He wanted to see everything in their perspective. How was life for the normal folk in comparison to the major characters?

"Ah, it seems the leader is here."

"Leader?"

At Lucri's words, Arnold looked towards the adventurers who were making more noise than they did earlier.

A single individual climbed on top of a chair to get everyone's attention.

"Attention, everyone!"

He was a man who sported full plate armor and carried a long sword behind his back. His armor and weapons seemed to be of high quality.

'A-rank?' Arnold saw the badge hanging on the man's chest plate.

"I am the one who was chosen to be the leader of this quest. The Guild Master has made our party the main offense in the battle against the dragon. Oh, by the way, my name is Clint. I am the leader of the highest ranking adventuring party in this city, Dead Hollows."

Clint had short brown hair and a friendly atmosphere around him. One could feel his charisma from his tone of voice.

"Let me introduce my teammates." Three people approached him.

"This is Crull. He is my life-long friend who had been together with me ever since I was a greenhorn." The one who he pointed towards was a male martial artist with a tan and muscular upper body. His hair and his beard were red. He looked like he was in his late twenties. By the way, he was only wearing pants.

"This is Lucia. She is the mage of my team."

The other one was a black haired woman who was wearing a magician's rob and hat. It was those cliché pointy hats that most wizards wore. She looked to be in her early twenties, and seemed to be the youngest of the group.

"And this is our ranger and archer, Sylphiala."

The last one was an elf who had long droopy ears and a face which seem to look at everyone coldly. She had a bow behind her back and wore light clothes which were shorts and a shirt which had thin material.

Arnold had no idea how old she was since an Elf's age couldn't be determined from their physical appearance after they reached adulthood.

"We will surely slay this dragon and make a name for ourselves!" Clint shouted and thumped his chest. "Who's with me!? Will you follow my leadership and devote yourselves to aiding me in this raid? If so, raise your hands!"

"OOOOOHHHH!!!" The adventurers shouted as they stomped the floor and raised their hands.

The entire guild rumbled with the cheers of the adventurers. Even the receptionists were applauding.

'This guy isn't bad, I guess. I thought this raid party would be comprised of greedy bastards but that's not the case at all. He kind of resembles my father in a way.' Arnold's opinion of the man changed after he heard his speech.

The man hopped off the chair.

As he approached the adventurers, they crowded around him and asked questions one after another. The man smiled wryly as he tried to calm them down.

"Please gather outside once you have finished giving your names. We don't want to waste any more time." The Elf, Sylphiala shouted to everyone who was crowding around Clint.

The group of adventurers abided and headed out of the Guild. Lucri pulled Arnold's sleeve who was dazed.

"We have to give your name quickly." Lucri stood up from the chair and pulled Arnold by his sleeve.

"Okay."

The two headed towards one of the receptionists. The woman put away whatever she was busy with and greeted the pair.

"Hello. Would you like to register for the Guild?"

"Yes, miss. Ah, can I ask something before that?"

"Of course."

"Can I measure my level at this Guild or do I have to go to another branch?"

Arnold didn't know whether they actually had a Measuring Runestone since he arrived on this world just three days ago. He had never had the time to find out, after all.

"At the moment, we only have a miniature version of the Runestone. The one we had broke down a few months ago. We are awaiting another one from the Magic Tower in the Empire, however, that will take a while."

"Ah…."

'So I can't see how strong Arnold is right now….'

Unlike the levelling system in the game which measured your stats using numbers, Runestones use letters to measure a person's power.

The miniature version of the Runestone would only be able to measure level so Arnold had to visit the Empire to fully see his status.

So troublesome.

"Here it is." The woman put a fairly large stone tablet on the desk.

It had engravings of the continental runic language on its surface.

"Place your hand by this hand-shaped article."

"Right."

Arnold did as such.

"Now I will infuse my mana into the Runestone to activate it."

"Okay."

Lucri watched in wonder from beside Arnold. He was also curious about his teammate's level.

A light embraced the stone.

"Now let me---" When the woman was about to speak, a cracking sound echoed.

"Uwaaah!" The stone broke into pieces when the light disappeared.

A type of blue aura was emanating from the pieces of stone. The adventurers watched in shock.

"N-No way. Even a person at level 70 shouldn't be able to shatter this runestone…" The receptionist looked at Arnold as if he were a monster.

"Why, why did it break?" Lucri asked from the side.

"Forget that. What's my level?" Arnold looked eagerly at the woman.

The woman fumbled the pieces together. Although the runestone broke, the number still showed.

"Level…32…"

"""""....""""""

A silence descended upon the entire Guild.

"How the hell can my level be 32 and yet this runestone shattered!?" Arnold looked at the runestone.

Both him and the rest of the adventurers looked at the receptionist in confusion.

Indeed. It showed the number "32".

"This means…" The receptionist's eyes widened.

"---You have the potential to become a Transcendent."

A voice came from the stairs. Everyone, including the receptionists, looked towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

The person who stood there was a middle aged man wearing a black suit. He had a wild appearance. His hair was fiery red and his eyes were like those of a dragon.

Many called him the "Mountain Fist". A mixed martial artist and retired SS rank adventurer now Guild master.

"M-Mister Flord!" The receptionist cried out. "The runestone---!"

"Yes. I felt a disturbance when it broke. Figured I'd check it out before leaving." The man descended from the stairs.

Each of his steps made the Guild rumble. Just looking at him, anyone could tell that he was a veteran warrior.

'Now that I look at him…'

Arnold looked up at the man's face. He had a wild beard that looked like flames were growing out of his face. His hair was also twirling in all sorts of directions.

'--He's huge!'

He was two times taller than Arnold was. His muscles were as thick as logs and his hands looked big enough to cover a person's entire face.

"Well, I never expected that a [Transcendent] would be born in this city." The man called Flord smiled widely.

"Transcendent? Can you explain what that is, sir?" The receptionist asked the man as he examined Arnold's body.

"Hmm…You do seem to have trained a lot during your childhood. Although, you still have a long way to go…Sorry, what was the question?" The man was so focused on examining and analyzing Arnold as an opponent that he didn't hear what his employee said.

"Transcendent…" She urged him on.

"Ah, right." The man stood upright again and looked at all the adventurers who were crowding around the reception desk.

He pointed at Arnold with his thick index finger and said nonchalantly.

"This guy will surpass all the 9 star powerhouses—the strongest people of humanity at the moment—In the future."

"….Huh?" Lucri looked blankly after what the Guild master said.

The same could be said for Arnold.

"""""WHAT!?"""""