Finn looked solemnly and silently at Kiden when he heard the method the latter was suggesting: to become one of the most important members of any of the Seven Great Factions.
This was the way Kiden thought could save Finn and his clan.
Even so, Finn was seriously thinking about how he could accomplish this.
It was true that with his current real level and rank, it would be easy for him to enter and become a member of any of the Seven Factions of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom. But how could he do this without the Nine Ice Family discovering his true strength?
If the Nine Ice Family found out Finn's real level and rank, they would surely do everything they could to erase him from this world—and if that happened, it would be the end of his entire clan.
He still needed to pretend that he was just a Gold Rank Adventurer to avoid drawing too much attention from the Nine Ice Family.
If a young Adventurer at the 9th Level Gold Rank was already considered remarkable in the eyes of an Aristocrat Clan, to a Noble Clan, he was nothing more than a normal, unexceptional occurrence.
According to Kiden, the Nine Ice Family had three Profound Rank Adventurers ten years ago. They probably had even more now, so they had no reason to feel threatened. To them, a 9th Level Gold Rank like Finn was just an insect they could crush without even using much strength.
When Kiden noticed Finn was deep in thought, he smiled gently and spoke:
"One year from now, four of the Seven Factions will visit this institution. They will come to select the most talented Adventurers among the core students to become their new Inner Members."
Finn already had some idea why only four of the Seven Factions would come to recruit new Inner Members from this institution. It was because three of the factions required special qualifications.
For example, the Alchemist Association only accepted Adventurers who possessed the alchemy flame, while the Soul Puppet Sect required talent in puppet control.
Kiden continued speaking:
"But, simply becoming an Inner Member won't be enough to make you one of their most important people. You'll need to enter and be recognized as one of their seven strongest core members. If you become one of those seven, both you and your clan will receive the protection of the faction you join."
"But, Institution Master, one year is too long. Before a year even passes, the Nine Ice Family may have already acted against my clan. And besides, I know it's not easy to become a core member of the Seven Great Factions," Finn said frankly.
"That's why I'm here to help you," Kiden replied. "I can directly place you into the Core Sect of the Cloud Soaring Sect so you can officially become one of their core members as soon as possible. Perhaps in this way, I can at least make amends for my failure to protect your clan ten years ago."
He went on:
"There is a highly influential Adventurer there who owes me a great debt. I'm sure he wouldn't refuse if I asked him to accept you as a core member. But that's all I can do for you. As for becoming one of the seven strongest core members, you will have to do everything you can to earn that recognition yourself."
Finn was stunned by what Kiden said. He couldn't believe that Kiden would go this far for him and his clan.
'Does Institution Master Kiden have connections to the Cloud Soaring Sect? Could it be…'
"Institution Master, are you… a member of the Cloud Soaring Sect?" Finn asked seriously.
When he heard this, Kiden forced a smile and shook his head slowly.
"Not anymore."
Even though Finn wanted to ask why Kiden was no longer a member, he chose to remain silent.
He looked at Kiden respectfully and said in a firm voice:
"Institution Master Kiden Sylveria, this favor… I will never forget."
"You don't have to thank me," Kiden replied. "I'm only doing this to atone for my failure to your clan. I'll inform that person of my request. For now, you can return to your clan—because it may take up to two months before the Elder from the Cloud Soaring Sect arrives to fetch you."
"Finn Doria, to be honest, I don't know how or why you were able to see my exact level and rank. I won't force you to tell me your secret—after all, everyone has their secrets. Once the Elder arrives to pick you up, I'll retreat into seclusion to try to advance my rank to reach Sky Rank. That could take up to a year, so I hope that when I emerge, I'll hear of your success."
--
It was late at night when Finn returned to his room. He gathered his belongings and placed them inside his Myriad World Mirror. Because he was the owner of this rare mirror, only he could control it and see it.
He willed the Myriad World Mirror to expand to the size of a door. Before stepping inside, he took a deep breath—and entered the world within the mirror.
The moment he did, his jaw almost dropped to the floor. The world inside the mirror…was not just any place. To him, it was a paradise.
Mountains filled with every kind of armament, pill, herb, and more. Countless massive piles of bronze, silver, and gold coins. Even more remarkable, the natural energy here was so dense that it was perfect for cultivation.
Finn almost drooled at the sight. These were the treasures collected by Kurt Bautista during his lifetime playing Rise of Gods.
As Finn continued to survey the area, he saw three floating objects radiating powerful auras—
A massive sword, an alchemy cauldron, and a small ship.
The object that drew his attention most was the enormous black sword. It was wrapped in black light and seemed to exert a force that compelled him to approach. He stepped closer and felt the overwhelming aura.
But as he was about to grip the sword's hilt, an invisible force suddenly hurled him far back—
BANG!
Finn winced, not understanding why he had been thrown. Perhaps he still lacked the strength to wield such a weapon.
He searched Kurt's memories and discovered the identities of the three items. Like his Myriad World Mirror, these were among the ten powerful Divine Artifacts in the world of Rise of Gods.
The great sword was called God Eater.
The cauldron was the Heavenly Divine Cauldron.
The small ship was the DivineAir Ship.
Together with the Myriad World Mirror, these four artifacts had helped Kurt maintain his status as the strongest player in the mortal world.
Since he couldn't use them yet due to the mysterious energies surrounding them, Finn could only smile bitterly and begin his task. He started collecting valuable items, storing them in separate interspatial rings.
While he was busy, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching him. He turned—and was shocked to see a floating, small, black, furry creature staring at him intently.
He stared back for a long time.
He searched Kurt's memories again but found no information about the creature.
"How did this thing end up here?!" Finn whispered nervously.
The little black creature continued staring at him, sending chills down his spine. After a few moments, it turned and flew away.
"What was that?" Finn muttered, shaking his head as he returned to his preparations.
--
By morning, Finn had finished everything. He stopped by Isake's room and knocked.
When Isake saw him, he stammered nervously, clearly afraid of his friend.
Finn handed him an interspatial ring and said a few words of farewell to his only friend. Isake was stunned—he knew how precious such a ring was. He tried to return it, but as he was about to, he realized Finn had already vanished.
"Finn…" Isake whispered to himself. He probed the ring's contents—and his eyes nearly popped out.
Inside the ring were:
—a top-tier Rare Armament Sword
—pills for training and power advancement
—and two Adventurer skills.
A Rare Armament! Far superior to a Common Armament—and top-tier at that!
In Isake's knowledge, armaments were ranked: Common, Rare, Excellent, and Epic, each further divided into low-tier, mid-tier, high-tier, and top-tier.
Even their Aristocrat Clan owned only two Rare Armaments—and those were merely high-tier. Now he couldn't help but wonder how Finn, from a mere ordinary clan, possessed such treasures. He also couldn't understand why Finn had just handed them over so casually.
--
Finn had only said goodbye to Isake, so he was able to leave the Sacred Dragon Institute quickly and without trouble. He traveled swiftly away from Heavenly Sky City—
—his destination: the territory of the Golden Lion Family.