Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 65: Adventurer Guild.

The next morning, Magnus awoke with the first rays of sunlight. As usual, Helen and the maids entered to clean his room while Magnus headed to the prepared bath. After a refreshing soak, he returned to his room, where Seraphina was already waiting with his breakfast.

"Thank you, Seraphina," Magnus said, appreciating her presence before he began his meal. After eating, he got ready for the long day ahead.

As Magnus left his quarters, he made a mental note to upgrade his living space. It was a bit too modest for someone of his status, especially now that the territory was about to be expanded.

With more outsiders expected, it seemed a bit underwhelming for the lord of such a territory to reside in a place only slightly above the average homes in the territory.

"Good morning, Lord Magnus! Hope you slept well," a group of women and girls greeted him as they passed by.

Judging by their attire and the items they carried, Magnus guessed they were heading to the farming district. "Good morning, ladies. Thanks for asking. My night was wonderful. How was yours?" he inquired.

"Our night was good too, Lord Magnus," they replied with cheerful smiles.

Magnus returned their smiles warmly. From their vigor, he surmised that many of them, if not all, were likely awakened individuals, though it didn’t matter much. Most of these women were past the typical age for awakening, which is between twelve and forty.

Of course, there were exceptions—people who awakened earlier or later than that. Early awakening could lead to mana core issues, as the mana core needs a certain maturity before it can handle the stress of awakening. Later awakenings usually meant diminished potential, with most individuals remaining at lower power levels, though a few managed to rise higher to a moderate level. That’s why awakening within the typical age range was advised.

Of course there are some people couldn’t help their timing, like these women. Growing up in an unranked territory, they didn’t have avenues for awakening until recently when they completed their first trial. But it didn’t matter; these women didn’t seem to care about gaining great power. Simply awakening and feeling revitalized, as if they were younger, was the best thing that could have happened to them, and they were content.

Magnus was not interested in forming an elite team of older men and women either.

These women would continue their normal lives without the pressure to grow stronger.

As Magnus walked, people greeted him continually, and he noticed that the mood had significantly improved since the previous day. He guessed the feast the night before had lifted everyone’s spirits, which was a good sign.

Eventually, Magnus arrived at the adventurers’ guild building. It was a modest one-story structure with the ground floor serving as the reception area. A large board displayed available missions, and a group of young people was already gathered, studying it intently.

The lower floor was spacious enough to accommodate several hundred people at once. Magnus had designed it this way so that it served not only as a reception and mission registration area but also as a meeting place where adventurers could form teams. Not all missions were solo missions.

Magnus smiled, pleased to see the bustling activity. He had announced the opening of the adventurer’s guild during his opening speech at the feast, and it seemed word had spread quickly.

He made his way past the reception and through the crowd, heading to the upper floor. Perhaps because everyone was focused on the mission board or because he was dressed in simple gear like the other youths, Magnus managed to slip by unnoticed.

"Wait, wasn’t that Lord Magnus who just walked upstairs?" a young man mumbled, suddenly tearing his eyes away from the board to notice Magnus ascending the stairs.

"Hey Jimmy, what are you looking at?" a young man standing nearby asked when he saw his friend shift his gaze from the mission board.

Jimmy furrowed his brows, staring at the stairs for a moment before turning back to his friend. "Oh, it’s nothing much. I just thought I saw something," he said. "What about you, Nick? Have you made up your mind yet?" Jimmy asked, redirecting his attention to the mission board.

"Not yet. The missions and rewards look decent, but I’m not sure if I want to become an adventurer," Nick replied. "I heard Lord Magnus will personally train a team of elite soldiers. I’m hoping to join, but I don’t know if being an adventurer will affect my chances."

"Hmm, that makes sense," Jimmy said thoughtfully, resting his hand on his chin. "I heard Silas has already been chosen. Lucky guy."

"Lucky? That kid’s a beast. I bet you wouldn’t last a minute against him, even though we all awakened at the same time," chimed in a young girl who looked no older than fifteen, overhearing their conversation.

"Pfft, it’s his space magic that saves him," Nick muttered, clearly a bit bruised in pride. From his tone, it seemed he wasn’t too fond of Silas.

"Call it what you want—space magic is his affinity. Go cry a river," another young man nearby added with a teasing grin.

"Pftt," Nick grumbled but left it at that, knowing the young man was right.

"Hey, look over there! They’re offering a wind-related skill for that mission," Jimmy said, pointing to the mission board with excitement, his eyes lighting up like a kid who just saw candy.

"Knock it off, buddy. That mission’s clearly out of our league. It’s not for newly awakened folks like us," Nick said, bringing his friend back to reality.

With a sigh, Jimmy realized Nick was right. The mission required gathering a magical plant located in the territory of the fearsome Spire Wolf—a terrifying beast known for being even more territorial than the Mangleon. They’d likely rip him apart the moment he set foot in their domain, let alone when he went for the magical plant, which was extremely valuable to them.

Disappointed, Jimmy turned his focus to other missions. He found many offering wind-related skills, just what he needed, but they were beyond his current abilities. He sighed, staring at the mission board, aware of his weakness but determined to grow stronger.

Many others, like Jimmy, were also fixated on the mission board, filled with determination. The board showcased opportunities they longed to seize but couldn’t yet reach. They understood they had to improve.

A new era dawning on their territory. They knew they must hold strong and not be swept away by this new wave of change.

-

Meanwhile, Magnus made his way to the first floor. This level was less crowded than the one below, with only a couple of people who greeted him as he passed.

Magnus returned their greetings and headed straight to a section of the first floor, the office of the guild’s Leader—Noah. Opening the door, Magnus entered the office, which was simple in design. It contained only a desk and chair, with a bookshelf sparsely filled with books.

Noah sat behind the desk, still clad in his impressive red armor, a sight befitting an office like this. "Lord Magnus!" Noah exclaimed upon seeing him but quickly sat back down at Magnus’s gesture.

"How are things going?" Magnus inquired.

"Not bad, Lord Magnus. Many of the youths are showing interest, but few have decisively signed up," Noah replied, a slight frown on his face.

Magnus’s expression remained unchanged. This was expected. It was only the first day the guild was established. Many people needed to weigh their options before deciding to become adventurers.

"How many people have signed up?" Magnus asked.

"A little over ten," Noah responded.

"Oh, I see," Magnus said, his brows furrowing. ’That’s a bit more than I expected,’ he mused.

Ten or a little more wasn’t a large number, but considering the guild had just opened that morning and it was still early, having over ten people sign up was surprising and promising.

"Well, that’s not bad," Magnus said. "Ten is a great number given the short time we’ve been open. They need time to decide if they want to sign up or not."

"When you put it that way, I guess it’s not so bad," Noah replied with a sigh, the frown on his face finally disappearing, though he still wasn’t entirely satisfied. In his previous life, he had been the vice leader of an adventurer’s guild that was always bustling with activity. This current lull felt quite dull in comparison.

He had been sitting there since morning, bored and idle, eagerly waiting for more people to join so the place could come alive with activity and be less boring.

"Since you seem to be handling things well here, I’ll be taking my leave. I just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything from me," Magnus said.

"Nothing to worry about, I’ve got it covered," Noah assured with a smile, though his mood was a bit down as he mused, ’Except for dying of boredom, of course.’

"Alright then, I’ll be on my way," Magnus said before turning and leaving the office.

As Magnus exited, Noah slumped back in his chair, looking thoroughly bored. "What can I do now before I die of boredom?" he muttered to himself.

Just then, a mischievous smile spread across his face as he turned to the corner.

There, his tamed blue-furred wolf lay quietly, its aura significantly retracted. It was as if the wolf was trying its best to go unnoticed.

Feeling Noah’s mischievous gaze on him, the wolf whimpered with a mixture of fear and frustration.

Unaware or perhaps unfazed by this, Noah continued to smile mischievously and asked, "Want to spar?"