The darkness of the inner sanctum vanished instantly. Maddy blinked, the spots in her eyes fading as the world rushed back in. She was no longer in an endless void. She was back in the main hall of the final station.

The massive, roaring fire stood in the center of the room. The other applicants who were there, some crying, some laughing, was now gone.

In Maddy’s hand, the Black Smoke adventurer plate was finally cold, its heavy weight a solid reminder that her journey had truly begun. Prometheus was gone, but the truth he had spoken lingered in the air.

"A grieving girl from Earth... Madelaine... but now, Madelaine—the Mother of Monsters."

She hadn’t heard that name, nor that truth, since arriving in this world. A small, sad smile touched her lips as she tucked the plate into her tunic, feeling the lingering warmth against her skin.

"So, Prometheus gave me his blessing. He saw the truth of what is in my heart. He knows I am no monster who kills for sport or hunger."

She looked back at the roaring flames, her gaze clear and unwavering.

"I am a mother who will kill for her children. And if a God can accept that, then the rest of this world will just have to learn to live with it."

She tightened her grip on her greatsword’s strap. The vulnerability was gone, replaced by a cold, sharpened resolve. She wasn’t just an applicant anymore; she was a licensed protector.

"Thank you for the spark, Thief of Fire. I’ll make sure it stays lit for the ones who matter."

She turned toward the heavy exit doors, but before she could take a single step, a sound like a thunderclap ripped through the silence of the hall. The air vibrated with such force that her ears rang, the sudden pressure making her wince.

She looked back toward the pillar of fire. The space that had been empty a second ago was now occupied. Kneeling in the very heart of the violet flames was the young man, the SSS Rank hero who had been chasing her earlier.

His eyes were clamped shut, tears streaming down his face as he let out a jagged, heartbreaking sob that echoed through the rafters. He wailed,

"MOTHER!"

It seemed the "Strict Immigration Officer" of the gods had decided the Golden Flame boy needed a session of soul crushing therapy. Prometheus was stripping away the legendary warrior’s armor and leaving only the wounded child underneath.

Maddy stared at him for a long beat, her expression unreadable. She saw the most powerful man in the building reduced to a weeping mess, broken by the same fire that had given her a respectful nod.

"I guess even ’heroes’ have mommy issues."

She thought, a flicker of dark humor crossing her mind. She didn’t stay to watch. She didn’t feel pity, nor did she feel the need to help. The Hero was busy fighting his own internal demons, and she had real ones to worry about. She turned her back on the crying SSS Rank and pushed open the massive double doors, stepping out of the dark, mystical chamber and back into the main guild hall.

At the quest board. A man stood there, his long, spiky maroon hair falling over a set of broad, scarred shoulders. He moved with a terrifying efficiency, his hand darting out to snatch a high tier paper from the board.

"An S Rank subjugation quest... Dealing with the slimes at the Oozewell."

The man crumpled the quest paper into a ball and shoved it into a leather pouch at his belt.

"Yeah... an S rank job should do. A fitting way to say farewell before I leave this nation... and deliver those... slaves."

As he turned to leave, the light from the guild’s grand chandelier caught a glint of metal dangling from his belt. It wasn’t a common accessory. It was his adventurer plate, shrunken and fashioned into a piece of jewelry.

It wasn’t black but it was a blinding Gold.

By the time Maddy finally stepped out of the guild hall, the world had turned to night. The registration had consumed the entire day, and the moons were already high. She adjusted the strap of her greatsword, her mind still replaying the bizarre mix of divine fire and the young man’s tall tales.

Strangely, the hours of orientation hadn’t felt long at all; she had been too occupied dissecting his stories, sorting the grains of truth from the mountain of half lies he had spun.

She had only taken a few steps away from the guild’s massive doors when a voice echoed behind her.

"Wait! Hey—wait up!"

Maddy paused, turning her head slightly. The SSS Rank youth was sprinting toward her. He skidded to a halt a few feet away, doubling over and clutching his knees as he gasped for air. Even for a hero of his caliber, the emotional toll of the fire seemed to have drained his physical stamina.

"I... I realized... I spent the whole day talking your ear off and I didn’t even... say my name. I’m Johnn—John with two Ns. You better remember that, hehe. So, uhm... since I said my name, that means... you say yours, right? Hehe..."

Maddy’s gaze landed on Johnn, and the first thing she noticed was the adventurer plate on his hand—its SSS rank gleaming gold. She opened her mouth to speak, words caught in her throat but before she could say anything, a voice rang out.

"There he is! The Golden Boy!"

A roar erupted from the guild entrance. A large group of veteran adventurers swarmed out like a tide. Before Johnn could blink, three warriors had their arms draped over his shoulders, effectively pinning him in place. One of them laughed, nearly lifting the young man off the ground as he shouted,

"You’re not slipping away that easily, Hero!"

Another chimed in, grinning wide, 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"A celebration for the new SSS rank is mandatory! We’re hitting the tavern and you’re the guest of honor!"

Johnn was hoisted up, carried like a log on a tide of cheering men. He struggled, flustered and helpless against the crowd.

"Wait—no! I was just—oh, damn it! Put me down!"

"Save it for the tavern! Drinks are on the Guild Master tonight!"

Maddy caught the last words. Her ears twitching at the mention of the title.

"G-Guild Master..."