The guild members stared at the screen with shock etched on their faces.

This... Kailen Darkhaven... He had actually completed the Count of Castelan mission? Everyone was asking the same question: How did he do it? Even intelligence organisations had no leads.

This Kailen Darkhaven was not ordinary. No wonder he did not show any reaction to their words when they said he was overestimating himself. He didn’t care about what others thought about him; also, he was confident in his abilities—whatever they were.

To complete one of the high-difficulty missions of the guild as a newbie meant that his future accomplishments would be extraordinary. No one was stupid enough to doubt his capabilities anymore.

At this moment, the door to the first floor swung open.

A tall, lean, athletic, handsome fellow with abyss-like hair and eyes, draped in a long coat, trousers, and sneakers, entered the first floor. Several guild members noticed him.

"It’s Kailen Darkhaven!"

"The newbie who just completed the Count of Castelan mission?"

"Yeah, that’s him!"

"Is he coming to take on another mission?"

"This guy is a freak!"

"Didn’t he just complete a high-difficulty mission? Should he relax for a while?"

"He’s really coming here."

The guild members crowded before the mission board were whispering among themselves. Various looks—ranging from shock and curiosity to admiration—flashed through their eyes. This newbie must have been someone really special from the edge region of the universe, they thought.

No one attributed that he could have come from the light region of the universe. No transcendent had emerged from there for as long as anyone could remember; only vimodials who became transcendents came from there.

Naturally, Kailen didn’t care about their thoughts. His expression was calm. When he got to the mission board, his eyes coincidentally fell on Branham’s.

Branham opened his mouth to speak, but he stuttered. Before he could even force words out of his mouth, Kailen’s gaze left him as soon as it fell on him.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Kailen thought. "Do I have some sort of history with him? Not necessarily. Not that I recall."

Kailen had more important things on his mind. He didn’t even bother remembering this fellow.

Branham felt a tinge of regret form in his heart. This new guild member definitely had serious potential. To think instead of trying to befriend someone like this a few days ago, he rather misjudged him.

Naturally, the other guild members returned to what they were doing at the moment. Several who had talked down at Darkhaven had their cheeks reddened with shame; they wanted a hole to crawl into. Several were wondering as they stole glances at the weird newbie:

Was he going to choose another mission with high difficulty? Was this guy aiming for the premium rankings?

****

At the highest floor of the guild, in a large, luxurious office.

A feminine figure was seated in a room with her legs crossed. She was a dwarf, dressed in casual uniform. This was the guild leader of the Dawnseer Guild, Guild Leader Dawnseer. She was a rank 4 novice-stage transcendent-level lifeform.

She nodded, as if someone had just communicated something to her.

"He actually chose and completed that mission. Looks like we have lucked out this time. It looks like we can have someone represent us in the National Guild Union competition when the time comes. If he manages to become the champion, he can obtain a slot to participate in the entrance exams of the Venzula Empire Academy."

Her eyes flashed with a glint of anticipation. "Although the second-place winner and the others in the top ten will have access to principle fragments to cultivate, and they will even be made members of the National Guild Union, such benefits cannot be compared to enrolling in the academy. If he manages to enroll in the academy, the guild will also gain popularity because of him. I really look forward to it."

The guild head sighed with a smile.

****

Some shocking news had travelled through Richtchard City.

The Count of Castelan and his daughter had been found dead in their estate. Apart from the two, nothing else in the estate had been touched. No one else was attacked. It was clear from this that whoever was behind their deaths had targeted the Count and his family personally.

No one knew how it had happened or who was behind it. The whole incident was shrouded in a veil of mystery. The law enforcement agency branch of the city did everything they could to find those behind the incident, but no clues were found.

At least, that’s what it looked like on the surface. Only the three other counts of the city knew why no clues were found: they had bribed the city’s law enforcement agency to cover everything up. Several people, unaware of this occurrence, sighed and shook their heads.

The Count of Castelan and his daughter had died a meaningless death. Those behind their deaths could not even be brought to justice because even the law enforcement agency of the city could not find any clues behind their deaths.

****

Kailen kept going through the missions. His attention was finally drawn to one mission.

[ The Southern Mountain range of Richtchard City is swarming with bandits disrupting transport routes recently.

Mission: Find a way to stabilize the Southern Mountain range.

Mission Difficulty level: HIGH

Reward: 600 contribution points, 1500 gold coins ] 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"This will do," Kailen thought.

The mission was flagged: Kailen Darkhaven has accepted and taken on the mission.

"He really took on another mission with high difficulty," the receptionist who had been in charge of his guild entry assessment said. "I might even get a promotion for spotting him. This fellow is a genius," she thought. Her eyes flashed with glee.

Several other guild members noticed Kailen Darkhaven had selected another mission with high difficulty. No one looked down on him anymore after he completed his first mission; rather, they were curious about the outcome of the mission.