The typically quiet Crimsonpeak Martial Hall buzzed with unusual energy today. Several guests had arrived—all women, each with distinctly different styles and presence.
"Is he actually coming?" asked the red-haired woman with striking beauty and an aura of cold authority. Scarlet Ashcroft, guild president, radiated the confidence of someone accustomed to command.
Kieran nodded affirmatively.
A short-haired beauty wearing a tank top and combat shorts—bandages wrapped around both hands, lean and athletic build suggesting a striker class—spoke with barely contained excitement. "Finally! I get to meet the handsome high school student who dealt over 10,000 damage!"
Another woman sat quietly in a nearby chair, holding a delicate teacup with both hands. She wore flowing robes in shades of violet, her lavender hair cascading down her back. A ornate staff rested against her seat within easy reach, marking her as a caster.
Scarlet's crimson eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I investigated this student—Vaelor Draeth. During the recent awakening ceremony, official records show he manifested only an E-Rank talent and awakened to the common Shadow Reaper profession. Even as a newly advanced Tier 1 Warrior, those specifications shouldn't enable 10,000+ damage output."
"I witnessed it personally with my own eyes," Kieran assured her firmly. "The numbers don't lie."
Scarlet nodded, her red eyes flickering with analytical light. "If your observation was accurate, it means he deliberately concealed his true talent and profession during official registration."
"But why would anyone do that?" the short-haired woman asked with confusion. "Isn't displaying exceptional talent the best way to secure resources and opportunities?"
"I heard that during the awakening ceremony at Thornhaven First Combat Academy, an Abyss Cultist suicide attack occurred," Scarlet said, her voice taking on a grim tone. "A female instructor was killed instantly. Several students sustained serious injuries."
Comprehension dawned in Kieran's eyes. "So... he chose concealment to avoid becoming an assassination target?"
Scarlet nodded slowly. "If that's his reasoning, it suggests his awakened talent is extraordinary enough to warrant such extreme caution. The kind of ability that would make him a priority target for elimination."
While they discussed possibilities, a figure appeared outside—a young man walking through the rain with an umbrella, stopping at the martial hall's entrance.
The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh.
"Welcome to Crimsonpeak Martial Hall," the artificial voice announced.
All conversation ceased. Every head turned toward the entrance.
"I've arrived."
Vaelor's shadow clone stepped inside, closing his umbrella. He paused briefly, taking in the assembled group with calm assessment.
"Welcome, Vaelor!" Kieran smiled warmly, gesturing to the others. "Let me introduce everyone. This is our guild president—Scarlet Ashcroft. She's a Tier 5 powerhouse with an Epic-tier support profession."
The red-haired woman—strikingly beautiful with features that could be described as sculpted perfection, radiating an aura of cold competence—extended her hand toward Vaelor with a slight smile.
"Scarlet Ashcroft. A pleasure to meet you."
"Vaelor Draeth." The clone accepted the handshake, noting her grip was firm without being aggressive. Her hand felt smooth as polished jade—clearly someone who maintained herself well despite regular combat.
"Lyanna Stormweave," the quiet woman with lavender hair introduced herself, her voice soft but clear. "Tier 3. Radiant Elementalist."
"I'm Raina Quickstrike!" The short-haired woman practically bounced over to Vaelor, seizing his hand with both of hers and examining him with sparkling eyes. "Tier 2, Striker class! Kieran wasn't exaggerating—you're way more handsome than I expected! Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Raina, calm down! You'll scare him away!" Kieran grabbed her collar and physically hauled her back to a respectful distance before turning apologetically to Vaelor. "As for me—my profession is Spellbreaker Lancer, Tier 2."
Scarlet smiled professionally. "In addition to those present, the Crimson Rose Guild currently has two other members. One male—Tier 3 Guardian. One female—Tier 3 Assassin. Six members total at this stage. That's our current roster composition."
Vaelor nodded, filing away the information. Small but fairly balanced team composition. Lacking a dedicated damage dealer, which explains their interest.
"I'm certain Kieran has explained that our guild desperately needs a member with exceptional burst damage capabilities," Scarlet continued, her tone becoming more businesslike.
"Vaelor, I'll be direct. Are you a rare-tier profession?"
The clone maintained perfect composure despite the pointed question. "Why do you ask?"
Scarlet's smile turned knowing. "Because dealing over 10,000 damage before achieving official Tier 1 Warrior status is functionally impossible without rare-tier classification or higher. To be completely transparent—I conducted a background investigation. I'm confident you didn't actually awaken an E-Rank talent, and you're certainly not a common Shadow Reaper."
Looking into Scarlet's crimson eyes that seemed capable of reading minds, Vaelor's clone remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.
Scarlet took a step closer, closing the distance until her presence—and her subtle, expensive perfume—became impossible to ignore.
"For me, funding is not an obstacle. My ambition is building the nation's premier guild."
"I'm aware you haven't officially registered as a warrior yet, but that's irrelevant. If you possess S-Rank talent or awakened to a rare-tier profession or higher—if you can fulfill our damage dealer requirements—we're willing to invest time and resources into your development. We can offer an A-Rank contract with guaranteed income of 10 million points annually, in addition to your share of dungeon earnings."
"What do you think?"
Before Vaelor could formulate a response—
"Wait," Kieran interrupted suddenly, her tone shocked. "You've... you've become a Tier 1 Warrior?"
Scarlet froze. Raina and Lyanna immediately focused their attention, both sensing the truth Kieran had detected.
The vitality radiating from the young man before them was terrifyingly dense—far exceeding what newly awakened Tier 1 Warriors should possess.
"May I ask your current level?" Scarlet's voice remained controlled, but anticipation colored her words.
"LV2." The clone saw no reason to hide basic information.
Multiple sharp intakes of breath echoed through the hall. Kieran's shock was particularly visible—her eyes wide with disbelief.
How long has it been since he awakened?! There aren't many Tier 1 Warriors who just awakened days ago in all of Thornhaven City, and he's already LV2?!
Scarlet's internal evaluation of Vaelor skyrocketed. She adjusted her approach accordingly.
"Vaelor, would you be willing to demonstrate your current damage output?"
"Of course."
The clone was curious about his combat power parameters as well. Through the consciousness link, the main body would receive all data instantly.
Under everyone's focused observation, Vaelor approached the combat power analyzer. He drew his fist back, channeling approximately thirty percent of his available power—enough to demonstrate Tier 4 capabilities without revealing his true monstrous strength.
His meridians activated. Vitality surged. Multiple Intents synchronized partially. The Vibrational Force Technique layered over everything.
He struck.
BOOM!
The impact resonated like thunder contained within metal. The entire combat analyzer shuddered violently, its frame creaking under stress it wasn't designed to withstand.
Numbers scrolled rapidly across the display before stabilizing.
342,891
Kieran's pupils contracted to pinpoints. Her mouth fell open, words completely failing her.
"Three... three hundred thousand?!" Raina's voice cracked with disbelief.
Lyanna's usual serene composure shattered. She stared at the number, then at Vaelor, then back at the number, unable to reconcile reality with the data before her.
Scarlet's expression remained controlled, but her crimson eyes blazed with intensity that suggested her inner thoughts were far from calm.
Because this value was impossible.
A Tier 2 Warrior at LV19—the absolute peak before tier advancement—might reach 40,000-50,000 damage with optimal build and equipment. Maybe 70,000 for truly exceptional individuals.
A Tier 3 Warrior could potentially break 100,000.
But 340,000+ damage? That was solidly within Tier 4 Warrior territory. Mid-tier at that.
He was LV2.
LEVEL TWO.
And judging by his relaxed posture and casual expression, he clearly hadn't used his full strength.
Through the consciousness link, Vaelor's main body—still cultivating peacefully at home—received the data with satisfaction. Perfect. Demonstrated enough power to access higher-tier dungeons without revealing my true capabilities. They'll have authority to bring me into zones where I can farm serious experience.
"Vaelor, you..." Kieran stuttered, her composure completely abandoned.
Raina muttered to herself in a daze, "Even when I activate all my skills and burn my stamina reserves, my maximum damage caps at 60,000. He just... casually..."
Scarlet stared at Vaelor, her entire demeanor transforming. She regarded him the way a collector might gaze upon a priceless artifact suddenly available for acquisition.
Monster. Absolute monster. This isn't talent—this is a fundamental anomaly in the cultivation and leveling system itself.
"Vaelor," Scarlet said, her voice taking on an intensity that made everyone else unconsciously straighten. "I'm revising my offer."
"If you're willing to join Crimson Rose, I'll provide you with an SSS-Rank contract—the highest classification available. In addition to your earned share from dungeon expeditions and monster hunting, I will personally guarantee one billion points annually as base compensation."
The words hung in the air like a physical presence.
One billion points.
Kieran nearly choked. Raina's jaw literally dropped. Even Lyanna's serene mask cracked, her eyes widening with shock.
Those terms could recruit a Tier 8 Master-level warrior. Multiple Tier 7 experts would fight over such a contract.
And Scarlet was offering it to a LV2 high school student.
If anyone outside heard this, they'd assume it was an elaborate joke or a sign of insanity.
But Scarlet's unwavering crimson gaze, locked onto Vaelor with laser focus, made it clear she was absolutely serious.
"Furthermore," Scarlet continued, her voice steady and professional despite the astronomical figures involved, "there will be no restrictions on your personal activities. No mandatory guild duties beyond dungeon expeditions when we specifically need your participation. Complete freedom otherwise."
"You'll have full access to our guild facilities—gravity chambers, training equipment, meditation chambers, everything. First priority on any equipment or resources that suit your build from our acquisitions."
She paused, letting the terms sink in before delivering the final point.
"Most importantly—with my authority as a Tier 5 guild master, I can secure permits for higher-tier dungeon access. Instead of wasting time in beginner zones suitable for your official level, I can bring you directly into Tier 3 and Tier 4 dungeons where the experience gains will match your actual capabilities."
There it is, Vaelor's main body thought with satisfaction through their link. Exactly what I needed.
Access to high-level dungeons while officially only being LV2 would be impossible through normal channels. But guild master authority could bypass those restrictions under the justification of "supervised training" or "party support member."
He could send shadow clones into dangerous zones to farm experience constantly while his main body cultivated in complete safety. The efficiency would be astronomical.
Scarlet extended her hand, her crimson eyes burning with determination.
"If you're willing to accept, we can finalize the SSS-Rank contract immediately. Right now."
The clone maintained perfect composure, though internally both the clone and main body were calculating the advantages.
One billion points annually. High-tier dungeon access. Complete freedom of movement. No binding restrictions. And they're desperate enough that negotiating better terms would be trivially easy.
The only real question is: do I want to commit to any organization this early?
Through the consciousness link, the main body made the decision.
Accept. The benefits far outweigh any theoretical drawbacks. We can always leave later if necessary—and with shadow clones, our real body never needs to be at risk anyway.
The clone allowed a slight smile to cross his features as he reached out and grasped Scarlet's offered hand.
"I accept your terms. Let's formalize the SSS-Rank contract."
Scarlet's answering smile was brilliant—genuine joy mixed with the satisfaction of a successful negotiation.
"Welcome to Crimson Rose, Vaelor Draeth. I promise you won't regret this decision."
Oh, I'm quite certain I won't, both the clone and main body thought in perfect synchronization. This is going to accelerate everything.
Raina suddenly squealed with excitement, bouncing on her heels. "We got him! We actually got a Tier 4-level damage dealer!"
"He's not Tier 4," Lyanna corrected softly, though her eyes remained fixed on Vaelor with newfound respect. "He's LV2 with Tier 4 combat power. Which is somehow more terrifying."
Kieran just shook her head slowly, a smile playing at her lips despite her continued disbelief.
I invited a monster into our guild. Father's going to think I'm insane when I tell him.
As Scarlet pulled out the contract documentation—SSS-Rank templates were complex, requiring multiple verification seals and authentication protocols—Vaelor's clone settled into a chair to review the terms.
Meanwhile, fifteen kilometers away, Vaelor's main body continued cultivating peacefully, already feeling the subtle flow of experience beginning to trickle through their consciousness link as the clone's activities registered with the system.
Perfect efficiency, the main body thought with deep satisfaction. Now to create more clones and begin serious dungeon farming.
Let's see how fast I can reach Tier 9.
The path to absolute power had just accelerated dramatically.
And nobody except Vaelor himself understood just how dramatically things were about to change.