Guildmaster William stared at Sol for a mont longer, his shock slowly fading into a determined grin.
"An A-Ranker, huh?" William chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. If people with legendary talents reach A-Rank faster than those with less rare talents, it makes sense you'd do it in a fraction of the ti. With your strength, we can finally make a move without leaving the town vulnerable."
His tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Sol, your help would be greatly appreciated. And don't worry—you'll receive a reward worthy of an A-Rank adventurer."
Sol shook his head. "That's not necessary. I'm helping because I want to. I'm not looking to gain anything here. Plus, I know the guild doesn't have the funds to afford an A-Ranker."
He had helped Annabel and the guild with nurous tasks in the guild before and was well aware of their finances. Since the branch was located in a small town near the kingdom's border, not much money flowed through it. While they earned a decent amount, considering operational costs, their profits barely exceeded 2,000 gold annually. With part of those funds being used to hire C-Rank adventurers to protect the town and that the average price for an A-Ranker was 1,000 gold, hiring him would place a substantial strain on the guild's finances.
William raised an eyebrow but smirked. "Generous, but you shouldn't underestimate the value of your work or my branch. Adventurers deserve proper compensation for their risks. While we may not have the gold for it, I have another way to compensate you and your friend."
From his spatial ring, Guildmaster William retrieved an oddly shaped dark blue bracelet with a purple gem floating in a gap within the loop.
[Singularity Band
Unique
Durability: 790/800
Skills:
[Spatial Lock] Lv 6, [Short Warp] Lv 6, [Space Crack] Lv 6]
[[Spatial Lock] Lv 6 Stabilizes the surrounding space, preventing the use of space magic and other spatial manipulations. Radius: 30 ters. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 2 hours.]
[[Short Warp] Lv 6: Teleports the user anywhere within 60 ters and within sight. Cooldown: 2 minutes]
[[Space Crack] Lv 6: Destabilizes a designated space, causing spatial fissures to appear. Cannot be used while [Spatial Lock] is active. Cooldown: 30 minutes]
Sol's eyes widened as he read the item's description and skills. He shook his head vehently. "I can't accept this. It's far too valuable."
While it was a unique item—typically worth 500 to 800 gold—this was a spatial item, making it significantly more valuable. If the Singularity Band were put up for auction, Sol wouldn't be surprised if it sold for over 1,500 gold. Even single use items like teleportation gems sold for around 500 gold, assuming they were even available, as few people could craft such items.
William didn't hesitate as he pushed the bracelet into Sol's hands. "Just take it. I'm not as active as I used to be anyway, so it's been collecting dust in my ring for years. I'm sure it'll be more useful to you than to ."
Experience tales at empire
Annabel quickly chid in, placing her hands on her hips. "He's right! And an adventurer should always be entitled to a reward for their work. So don't worry about it and shalessly accept Dad's reward!"
Sol hesitated, but faced with both of their insistence, he finally agreed. "Alright. I'll do my best then."
William gave a satisfied nod. "I'm sure you will. Now, let's get down to business."
William led them out of the storage room and up to his office. The walls were lined with shelves stacked with books and weapons from his personal collection. A large wooden desk sat near the center of the room, and a detailed map of the surrounding regions was spread across it, weighed down by steel markers and pins.
Red tokens marked various scattered points in the surrounding regions, with only a few overlapping or positioned close to one another.
William gestured to the map. "Before you arrived, I was reviewing the reports from those willing to scout the forest. These are the confird locations of the Thunder Wolf Kings. Each one leads a pack of at least forty Dire Wolves. But there are likely more we haven't spotted yet."
Though almost no one dared to venture outside due to the dangers, a few brave individuals had risked their lives to gather intelligence on their soon-to-be enemies.
Sol leaned over the map, his sharp eyes scanning the placents. The circles weren't random.
"They're forming a pattern." Sol muttered, pointing at several tokens clustered near each other. "If these groups split up and keep moving to these spots, they'll completely surround the town."
William nodded grimly. "Exactly. It's too coordinated for beasts acting on instinct. And while I could handle them, I can't leave the town unprotected."
He tapped a finger on one of the marked areas. "That's why I need you to take care of them. Starting here."
Sol nodded, but sothing nagged at him. "I'll handle it. But why are they even trying to encircle the town? Sure, it stops you from leaving and wiping them out, but the Thunder Wolf Kings can't approach the town either while you're here. If whoever's behind this is smart enough to plan this, they must know this stalemate isn't in their favor and won't last long."
William's eyebrows rose as he caught Sol's aning. "You're right. Even if you hadn't shown up, I already sent word to Kerman. It's only a matter of ti before they send B-Rank adventurers, soldiers, or maybe even another A-Ranker to help. It'll only take a day or two at most."
"Then they must be planning to strike soon. And to do that…" Sol frowned. "They must have an A-Ranker too, maybe more. But if they haven't attacked yet, it ans they're either on their way or not ready."
Amber, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward. "Move quickly. Fewer enemies."
William nodded in agreent. "Exactly. I'll hold the defenses here. You and… Amber, right?" He recalled her na from when he was eavesdropping earlier. "You two will hunt down the Thunder Wolf Kings and find whoever's responsible. But be on guard, whoever's behind this is likely expecting retaliation."
Annabel gave Sol a supportive smile. "Good luck. Try not to get yourself killed, alright?"
Sol smirked. "Don't worry about . Worry about the ones who dared cause trouble."
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