Arcane Era-Chapter 68: New Mission

’E-eh?’

The moment Theo arrived in the vast, luxuriously decorated office, he was stupefied.

The Guildmaster’s office was a vast, breathtaking room that oozed sophistication. Towering windows overlooked the city skyline, and even the windows seemed to glimmer like they were made of precious stones. The floor was polished obsidian inlaid with glowing golden designs that pulsed faintly, while a massive crystal chandelier hung overhead, adjusting its brightness in response to mood and tone.

A sleek black desk sat at the room’s center. Floating shelves lined the walls, holding a mix of ancient-looking scrolls and also modern books. In fact, there were a lot of novels that lined a certain section of the shelves. Behind the desk was the flag of the Ak’ashi Guild—an eclipsing sun, encircled by intertwining gears and surrounded by stars.

There seemed to be a dedicated lounge area away from the Guildmaster’s desk, which had black seats and a golden center table. Right in front of the table was a pair of seats, looking so alluringly comfortable that anyone would want to occupy them. Every corner of the room told the same story: power, wealth, influence—all of the things Theo currently lacked and desired.

However, despite how overwhelmingly stellar the office was, it wasn’t the cause of Theo’s bewilderment.

That went to the people who occupied the room.

There was, of course, Shen Ak’ashi—who comfortably sat behind his desk, wearing a casual hooded jacket that matched his black joggers. His slides were also casual, and while his golden hair and bright eyes shone with nobility, his simplistic outfit made him appear quite ordinary.

However, other than him, there were others in the room—most of whom Theo recognized—and they stood in front of his desk with varying expressions.

’Liyah, Kaycee, and Arlet? What are they doing here??’ His eyes widened, and he also took a quick look at Fae, who stood next to Shen’s seat, a few steps behind him.

She glanced at him, but he quickly looked away the moment their eyes met.

’Things are still a little awkward after last time...’ He sighed, remembering the mild argument he had with Liyah during the Mercenary Crew incident. ’I haven’t spoken to or seen any of the Zenith members after that, so I’m not sure how they feel about me after what happened.’

Did he have any regrets about what he said, though?

No, not at all!

’I followed my instincts and made the right call... But leaving that aside, what exactly is it that they are here?’ Theo asked himself, raising his brow.

He was under the impression that he received a special invitation and would be having a private audience with Shen. Instead, it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who received the invitation, and there was no private talk to be had.

’I didn’t expect this.’ His eyes darted around the room, scouring all the faces before finally settling on one. ’And who is this new face?’

Standing at the furthest end of the room was a tall, beautiful woman in her late twenties. She had long black hair, a clear face, and dark eyes that seemed to shine like gems. She wore a slightly oversize white shirt, black trousers, and flat slip-on shoes. She had a choker around her neck, as well as a dark glove wrapped around one hand.

Her smile felt cheerful and confident, and she was the only person Theo didn’t recognize.

He had never seen her before.

"Oh, Theo! You finally arrived! Come in, come closer!" Shen beamed as soon as Theo’s presence registered in the room.

Everyone present turned to him, and he let out a wry smile.

’Looks like they were expecting me, yet I wasn’t aware any of them would be coming.’ His gaze went to Kaycee and Liyah, who both shot him apologetic expressions.

’You traitors!’

"Since you’re all here, I suppose it’s time to start things off with the obvious news: you all passed the Evaluation. There were a few others who passed, but they’re not in this office because that isn’t the true reason I gathered you all here today..."

’Oh? So Kaycee passed?’ Theo was as surprised as he was happy for his friend. ’Why? Is it because of his actions during the Mercenary Crew takeover?’

Kaycee was currently gushing, almost like he couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of the Supreme Lord of Tyranny. It seemed like he was more concerned with that than the fact that he actually passed the Combat Exams.

"You’re all Cadets of the Ak’ashi Guild now, which means you can start assignments effective immediately. I have decided to place you all in the same team from the jump, rather than letting the administrative affairs of the Guild handle that. I will also be in direct control of the assignments you receive, and will be given the reports once they’re complete." Shen continued, speaking very calmly—as if all of this was natural.

It wasn’t! Not in the slightest!

’Normally, new Cadets are assigned to respective teams that already have veterans and at least one person who is one rank higher than them.’ Theo silently reasoned.

The Guild’s rank system had Cadets at the very bottom of the hierarchy. After them were Experts, followed by Masters, and then Captains. Beyond the Captain Rank was the Elite unit of the Guild: The Zenith.

And, after them was the Guildmaster himself.

’There’s usually not more than one newbie Cadet in any group...’ He furrowed his brows. ’They also never have any direct contact with the Guildmaster. Instead, Combat Staff get their missions from the Registrar Building, and also report to the Personnel Record office once it’s complete so they can get their rewards.’

Any Complaints or concerns could be made to the Staff Affairs Division.

There were several solo missions within the Guild, but Team Missions also existed. Naturally, the latter was more difficult, and certain quotas of both had to be completed before one could build up enough merits for special privileges or promotions.

’Team Missions apparently give more merits due to their difficulty level, so a lot of members prefer to do Team Assignments despite their difficulty.’ He noted silently. ’But that’s only because of the advantage of numbers, making it relatively safer than going solo.’

Regardless, both Team Missions and Solo Missions still had to follow the rules of bureaucracy.

’So why are we receiving special treatment?’

Theo had this thought as he walked closer to the group, standing right beside Arlet, who stood at the closest end from the office entrance.

"For your first assignment, I have decided to give you something a little exciting. I figured, after everything you all have experienced, regular missions might be too boring."

Shen’s wicked smile caused Theo to shudder slightly.

’I still don’t know much about my new abilities, and I have almost no experience working in an official team, so maybe a boring mission is what I would prefer.’ Despite having this thought, Theo had no intention to complain.

Instead, he decided to pay attention to more details that Shen shared.

"The new face in the room is going to be your team leader." He gestured towards the beautiful lady with black hair, and she nodded, maintaining her cheerful expression. "Her name is Kamara, and she’ll be in charge of you all."

"Nice to meet you all! I haven’t worked in a group for so many years now, and this is my first time being a group leader, but I hope we can all get along and have a wonderful time on our assignments together." She beamed, turning to look at each member of the newly created squad.

Theo was stunned to hear this, especially after she smiled harmlessly after making eye contact with him. Her attitude reminded him of Dinah, but with a lot more naiveté and the carefreeness that came with youth.

She didn’t seem much older than them, and her maturity looked to be on the same level.

’Most importantly, she doesn’t have any experience leading a group... just like we don’t have experience being a part of one.’ Theo sighed deeply. ’Isn’t this a recipe for disaster?’

Still, he made no complaints.

’Since Lord Shen is making such an exception for our group, I would have preferred having a member of the Zenith as our leader... but I guess that’s aiming too high.’ Maintaining a moderate smile, he decided to keep his expectations fairly realistic.

Nothing was going to surprise him anymore.

"Now, for the details of your assignment... I believe your team leader will inform you when the time is right, and at her discretion. While it ought to be an exciting experience, the task shouldn’t be too difficult for your team to handle... especially for you, Theo." Shen’s gaze narrowed on the stunned Theo, addressing him directly.

"Huh?"

"Your assignment takes place in a place you’re very familiar with, Theo..."

’No way!’ Theo’s eyes widened, a million thoughts running through his mind at once. ’Is it—?’

"That’s right... it’s Sarvos."